Hands-on : a practical measure of the perceived risk of the driving context.

In this naturalistic observation study a count of the number of hnds drivers placed on the top half of the steering wheel is taken at road situations that varied in their level of accident history or driving difficulty, and across different vehicle types. The survey instrument found that drivers do perceive that two hands on the top half of the steering wheel gives the most control over the vehicle, and that drivers overestimate their use of this hand position. Repeated observations of the same drivers suggest that patterns of hand positions do not relate solely to driving style, habit, or arm fatigue. Hand position patterns do vary with speed and the complexity of the driving environment, and the perceived safety of the vehicle being driven, suggesting that hand position observations can be developed to measure the perceived risk of the road context. This new method of risk assessment and its possible applications are discussed. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214098.