A great many new in-vehicle systems focus on accident prevention by facilitating the driving task. One such driving aid is an in-vehicle collision avoidance warning system (IVCAWS), used to alert the driver to an imminent collision. This work evaluated effects of an imperfect IVCAWS on both driver headway maintenance and on driver behaviour in response to warning system errors. Results show that drivers tend to overestimate their headway and consequently drive with short and potentially dangerous headways, and that IVCAWS are a useful tool for educating drivers to estimate headway more accurately. Moreover, this research showed that after a relatively short exposure to the system, drivers were able to maintain longer and safer headways for at least 6 months. Practical implications of this work are discussed. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting