From technological acceptability to appropriation by users: methodological steps for device assessment in road safety.

This article presents the methodology developed within the framework of the research project SARI (Automated Road Surveillance for Driver and Administrator Information). This methodology is based on the logic of action research. The article presents the different stages in the development of technological innovation addressing vehicle control loss when driving on a curve. The results observed in speed reduction illustrate that no matter how optimal an innovation may be technologically speaking, it is only as effective as it is acceptable from a user standpoint. This acceptability can only be obtained if the technology is developed by engineers in liaison with social science specialists.

The impact of perceptual treatments on driver's behavior: from driving simulator studies to field tests--first results.

Our study focused on the lateral position of drivers in relation to risk on rural crest vertical curves, using a field site proposed by a local operator of the French road network (Conseil Général de Maine-et-Loire, 49). The final goal was to test one road treatment on this field site. The study consisted of three stages. The first, using driving simulators, selected two perceptual treatments (i.e., rumble strips on both sides of the centerline and sealed shoulders) from five that were tested in order to help drivers maintain lateral control when driving on crest vertical curves. The rumble strips were installed first on the field site. The second stage was to develop a diagnostic device specifically in order to evaluate, on the field site, the impact of a perceptual treatment on the driver's performance (i.e., lateral position). This diagnostic device was installed in the field upstream and downstream of the target crest vertical curve. The third stage was to collect the data during two periods, before and after the centerline rumble strips were installed. We then compared the results obtained in the field study with those from the driving simulator studies. The comparison showed that, as in the simulator studies, the centerline rumble strips on the crest vertical curve affected lateral positions, causing the participants to drive closer to the center of the lane. Finally, the results showed the usefulness of driving simulators in the road design process.

Determination of pre-impact occupant postures and analysis of consequences on injury outcome. Part I: a driving simulator study.

This paper considers pre-impact vehicle maneuvers and analyzes the resulting driver motion from their comfort seating position. Part I of this work consists of analyzing the driver behavior during a crash. The study is conducted using the LAMIH driving simulator and involves 76 participants. The emergency situation is created by a truck emerging from behind a tractor on the opposite side of the road and tearing along the participant. The driver positioning throughout the simulation is recorded via five video cameras allowing view of the front scene, the driver face, feet and pedals, hands on the steering wheel and global lateral view. Data related to braking force, seat pressure, muscular activity for major groups of muscles and actions on the steering wheel are also collected. The typical response to this type of emergency event is to brace rearward into the seat and to straighten the arms against the steering wheel, or, to swerve to attempt to avoid the impacting vehicle. While turning the steering wheel, the forearm can be directly positioned on the airbag module at time of crash which represents a potential injurious situation. These positions are used in Part II to determine scenario of positions for numerical simulation of a frontal collision.

The impact of perceptual treatments on lateral control: a study using fixed-base and motion-base driving simulators.

This research was carried out as part of the French national multidisciplinary research project, PREDIT-SARI. Using a driving simulator, it aimed to test the effectiveness of road treatments intended to inform drivers about the risk of losing control on rural roads with "crest vertical curves" (Landis et al., 2004). [Rosey, F., Auberlet, J.M., Bertrand, J., Plainchault, P., 2008. Impact of perceptual treatments on lateral control during driving on crest vertical curves: a driving simulator study. Accid. Anal. Prev. 40, 1515-1523, Scopus.] used a fixed-base driving simulator to test four perceptual treatments intended to help drivers maintain lateral control when driving on crest vertical curves and found that two of them, rumble strips on both sides of the centerline and sealed shoulders, were more effective than the others. This first study prompted us to ask if non-visual sensory cues (e.g., vestibular or proprioceptive perceptions) could influence driver perception and consequently lateral control. We therefore conducted a second study on a motion-base driving simulator, using the same virtual 3D database. The results showed that: (1) drivers drive closer to the center of their lane when there are rumble strips on both sides of the centerline, or when there are sealed shoulders, than they do with the current marking system (i.e., continuous lines), and (2) the impact of the two tested perceptual treatments was replicated on both types of driving simulator.