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This study explored the relationships between subjective evaluations and objective metrics of vehicle dynamic performance. First, a real vehicle test was performed to measure the acceleration performance under different conditions, and participants’ subjective evaluations of the acceleration performance were investigated. Second, correlation analysis was conducted to explore relationships between each subjective evaluation and its corresponding objective metric as well as between the overall subjective evaluation and three individual subjective evaluations. Finally, an overall subjective evaluation model related to the three objective metrics was established based on the Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN). The analysis results demonstrated that the correlation coefficients of the three groups of data were greater than 0.5 and that each subjective evaluation was significantly correlated with its corresponding objective metric. The individual subjective evaluation of the climbing acceleration performance had the largest effect on the overall subjective evaluation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.47. The established overall subjective evaluation model was relatively reliable, with a prediction accuracy of 90%. This study furthered the existing knowledge of the methods for evaluating vehicle dynamic performance. The proposed overall subjective evaluation model improves the reliability of vehicle dynamic evaluations and offers a theoretical basis for vehicle manufacturers to improve automobile performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White-on-blue logo signs on the sides of highways are typically used to notify drivers of food, gas, and lodging at an upcoming interchange. The current research assessed driver performance and attention allocation in a simulated freeway driving task when exposed to six-panel logo signs, nine-panel logo signs, mileage guide signs, and roadway work zones both with and without an in-car navigation device. The objective was to identify the impact of signage types on driver behavior under realistic driving conditions. Results revealed glance durations and fixation frequencies to guide signs to be significantly lower than with six-panel and nine-panel logo signs, but no differences were found between six-panel and nine-panel logo signs. There were also statistical differences among the independent variables for speed deviation and lane deviation, but magnitudes were not large enough to be considered practically significant in terms of driving safety. Overall, there were minor differences in sign processing time between logo signs and mileage guide signs, but such differences did not translate to degradations in vehicle control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide enhancement of road traffic safety is one aspect of the UN agenda on "human security". The article examines the history of road traffic safety and the development of automobile safety technologies since the mid twentieth century with a strong focus on West Germany. From a historical perspective there are two reasons why the UN agenda includes the enhancement of road traffic safety. Firstly the development of road traffic safety is a "success story" in industrialized countries even though there are still high death rates globally. Secondly, the enhancement of road safety is linked to advanced civil societies with all their stakeholders, and strengthening civil society is a key concern of the UN worldwide. Beyond that, automobility is a symbol of modernity. Discourses about automobile safety inform us about the conceptions and regulation of individual freedom and security in different societies. Moreover, new safety technologies such as the safety belt modify the interactions between human beings and machines and thus the idea of freedom, autonomy and responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Many driving simulator studies have shown that cell phone use while driving greatly degraded driving performance. In terms of safety analysis, many factors including drivers, vehicles, and driving situations need to be considered. Controlled or simulated studies cannot always account for the full effects of these factors, especially situational factors such as road condition, traffic density, and weather and lighting conditions. Naturalistic driving by its nature provides a natural and realistic way to examine drivers' behaviors and associated factors for cell phone use while driving. Method In this study, driving speed while using a cell phone (conversation or visual/manual tasks) was compared to two baselines (baseline 1: normal driving condition, which only excludes driving while using a cell phone, baseline 2: driving-only condition, which excludes all types of secondary tasks) when traversing an intersection. Results The outcomes showed that drivers drove slower when using a cell for both conversation and visual/manual (VM) tasks compared to baseline conditions. With regard to cell phone conversations, drivers were more likely to drive faster during the day time compared to night time driving and drive slower under moderate traffic compared to under sparse traffic situations. With regard to VM tasks, there was a significant interaction between traffic and cell phone use conditions. The maximum speed with VM tasks was significantly lower than that with baseline conditions under sparse traffic conditions. In contrast, the maximum speed with VM tasks was slightly higher than that with baseline driving under dense traffic situations. Practical applications This suggests that drivers might self-regulate their behavior based on the driving situations and demand for secondary tasks, which could provide insights on driver distraction guidelines. With the rapid development of in-vehicle technology, the findings in this research could lead the improvement of human-machine interface (HMI) design as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]