Very little is known about the effect of motorcycle rider training on visual scanning and sight distance techniques in naturalistic riding situations. This study collected naturalistic data from a mix of novice and experienced motorcycle riders on a closed course and an open course. A custom data acquisition system was developed that monitored the motorcycle rider’s head motions, visual behaviour, motorcycle speed, GPS location, and motorcycle pitch, yaw, and roll. A portable eye tracker system actively tracked visual behaviour and gaze movement of the motorcycle rider as he or she rode over a closed course and an open road course at two 6-month intervals. There were three groups of riders. One group of beginner riders had recently received their motorcycle endorsement and completed the Team Oregon Basic Rider Training course (beginner-trained). A second group of beginner riders had recently received their motorcycle endorsement but had not enrolled in any type of motorcycle rider training program (beginner-untrained). The third group consisted of experienced riders with a minimum of 5 years and 15,000 miles of riding experience (experienced). During test sessions 2 and 3 on the curved section of the open road course, the sight distance to stopping distance ratio for beginner-untrained riders fell below 1.0 more than twice as often as the other two groups. Sight distance to stopping distance ratio indicates that the distance necessary to stop was greater than the distance the rider was looking ahead. Beginner-untrained riders also scanned a larger area during the open road course than experienced riders. The preliminary findings suggest that there may be a relationship between training, experience, and visual behaviour among motorcycle riders. It is feasible to collect naturalistic eye tracking data from motorcycle riders of varying experience levels using their own vehicles. Technical challenges of collecting data with this new technology are also discussed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract