The objectives of this research project were to develop a comprehensive and clearly defined research program to define, measure, and quantify driver perception of hazards as it relates to highway design, operations, and safety standards. This was accomplished through a systematic research and development effort that defined six research projects. The Driver Hazard Perception Research Program broadly addresses how drivers perceive, interpret, and react to potential hazards on the road, and how this influences risk related vehicle control decisions about time, speed, and space. The results will provide input to human factors safety handbooks, such as the "Human Factors Highway Safety Handbook" for use by highway designers, and human performance driving models, such as the Driver Performance-Based Highway Design Module (DPB/HDM) that incorporates human factors data and driver behavior models. The sequence of projects provides: (1) a broad, empirically based understanding of the role of driver roadway hazard perception leading to driver action; (2) understanding of the safety consequences of these perceptions and actions; (3) identification of causal factors influencing driver hazard perception; and (4) proposed countermeasures to improve driver hazard perception for benefits in safety and traffic operations. (Author/publisher)
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