There are three major components to driving: the vehicle, the roadway/environment, and the driver. This chapter addresses the last of these, examining driver characteristics and how they interact with the other two components. The human factors in highway transportation relate to the capabilities and limitations of the road user (driver, cyclist, pedestrian). Thus an understanding of the human element in the system is essential, as humans design, build, operate, and maintain vehicles, roads, and roadway environments (including traffic control devices). The limitations of the road user in terms of experience, impairment, physical and mental skills, motivation, and other characteristics are factors in the safe and efficient functioning of any transportation system. Characteristics of road users (motor vehicle operators, bicyclists, and pedestrians) and their interaction with the other elements of the system have all been the objects of considerable research, but they are still not well understood.
Abstract