Speed choice and driving performance in simulated foggy conditions

• Published in: Accident analysis and prevention 2011-05, Vol.43 (3), p.698-705
• Main Authors: Brooks, Johnell O., Crisler, Matthew C., Klein, Nathan, Goodenough, Richard, Beeco, Rebekkah W., Guirl, Chris, Tyler, Peg J., Hilpert, Anna, Miller, Yarbough, Grygier, Jason, Burroughs, Brooke, Martin, Ashley, Ray, Rob, Palmer, Cody, Beck, Christine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceleration; Auditory Perception; Automobile Driving - psychology; Choice Behavior; Computer Simulation; Contrast; Discrimination (Psychology); Distance Perception; Driving; Driving simulator; Female; Fog; Humans; Kinesthesis; Male; Orientation; Risk-Taking; Sensory Deprivation; Speed; Vision; Visual Perception; Weather; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0001-4575; 1879-2057
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2010.10.014

▶ Lane keeping abilities tend to remain robust to all but the most severe fog densities. ▶ Drivers appear to be willing to drive at high speeds while driving in fog. ▶ Fog does not appear to limit drivers’ ability to maintain proper lane position. ▶ Speed choice appears to be driven by factors beyond speed perception in fog. ▶ Further research describing behavioral changes associated with fog is warranted. Driving in fog is a potentially dangerous activity that has been investigated in a number of different ways; however, most have focused on identifying the underlying perceptual changes that result in an inability to perceive speed of vehicle motion. Although the previous research has identified the perceptual changes associated with driving in fog and shows that people are highly likely to perceive their speed to be higher than it actually is, these research studies have not investigated driving behavior when drivers are allowed to maintain speed as they feel appropriate and make use of the vehicle's speedometer. In addition, much of the existing research focuses on speed perception and presents a limited view of other driving performance metrics in terms of lane keeping and event detection. The current study addresses these issues utilizing a driving simulator-based method where fog is simulated as a distance dependent contrast reduction while having participants drive at speeds they feel are appropriate. A number of different instructions and speed feedback mechanisms were tested in order to determine how drivers react when driving in varying levels of fog. Results also include lane keeping measures in order to assess whether drivers are willing to drive at speeds where their lane keeping performance is degraded due to the reduced visibility. Results indicate that, in general, drivers do not tend to slow down significantly until visibility distance is drastically reduced by fog; however, lane keeping ability is maintained throughout most of the range of visibility distances. Lane keeping ability was reduced only when fog results in visibility distances