Title: Characteristics of path-tracking skill on a curving road

Authors: Andreas Erséus; Annika Stensson Trigell; Lars Drugge

Addresses: KTH Vehicle Dynamics, Teknikringen 8, SE-100 44, Stockholm, Sweden ' KTH Vehicle Dynamics, Teknikringen 8, SE-100 44, Stockholm, Sweden ' KTH Vehicle Dynamics, Teknikringen 8, SE-100 44, Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: The objective of this research work is to evaluate the relation of driver skill to measurements done when driving on a regular curving road, i.e., performing a primary driving task. A curving road scenario is designed using both clear sight and fog-limited sight distance. Measures are compared under equal conditions to identify the best separation of recruited driver types. A moving base simulator, VTI Simulator III, is used for the acquisition of driver metrics. Curves are found to be more reliable for identifying driver skill than straight road segments, and a number of measures show good performance in characterising driving skill under the tested conditions, both for clear sight and with the preview limited down to 30 m. The standard deviation proves to be very useful and qualifies for successful driver skill categorisation for commonly sampled data such as the lateral acceleration, yaw rate and steering wheel angle.

Keywords: road curves; fog; preview distance; driver skills; path tracking; driving simulator; driver behaviour; driver characteristics; recruitment; curving roads; simulation; lateral acceleration; yaw rate; steering wheel angle.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2015.066473

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2015 Vol.67 No.1, pp.26 - 44

Accepted: 18 Dec 2013
Published online: 22 Dec 2014 *

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