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Browsing by Author "Stackhouse, Stirling P."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    A Functional Evaluation of Driving Performance for Drivers with Cataracts: Licensing Implications
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 1995-12) Wade, Michael; Stackhouse, Stirling P.; Melick, Ann; Tranchida, Donna; Arthur, Erik
    In the design for this study we intended to use three groups of ten subjects: Younger Drivers; Older Drivers who were free of clinically significant cataracts; and drivers with advanced stage Cataracts. Data collection was completed for the first two groups and we collected data on six of the ten cataracts patients. During a greatly protracted delay due to simulator problems, Dr Melick completed her training and moved from Minnesota. We were unable to secure more cataract patients as subjects nor could we obtain the visual function data on the six cataracts patients we had tested in the simulator. This loss of subjects and data greatly reduced the intended scope of this study. This report will be written according to the changed circumstances for this project rather the original intent of the project. The results reported here are based on statistical analyses of the same three groups of subjects but with only six subjects in the Cataract group. The data are restricted to target detection data and driving performance data. Based on this limited analysis we found, as expected, that younger subjects exhibited greater sensitivity in their ability to detect targets than older subjects who in tum were more sensitive than subjects with cataracts. We also found, again as expected, that younger subjects had a greater bias toward stating that a target was present than older subjects who needed slightly less data to state that a target was present than cataract subjects. Our initial hypothesis was that older subjects would need more time to confirm that a target was present than older drivers and that this need for more time would be further extended for subjects with cataracts. This was confirmed. However, we further expected that the increased time needed for target detection by older subjects and by subjects with cataracts would result in less attention being paid to the driving task and therefore, a degradation of driving performance. This prediction was partially confirmed by the data for response time to the onset of simulated brake lights. Older subjects were significantly slower than younger subjects but while cataract subjects were slower than younger subjects, the difference was not significant. Older subjects had slower response times than Cataract subjects but again, this difference was not significant. For both the steering data (keeping the car centered in the lane) as well as for the speed maintenance data there were not significant differences among groups.
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    Human Factors Aspects of the Genesis Program
    (1994-03) Wade, Michael G.; Stackhouse, Stirling P.; Burrus, Max
    The success of in-car devices that aid drivers depends in part on driver reaction and acceptance. This project looks at the human factors considerations for the GENESIS Program, which studies the use of personal communication devices to deliver real-time traffic and transit information services. Researchers used vehicle simulation to learn more about the impact of the use of GENESIS devices. The report includes a discussion of human factors issues for consideration during the operational test evaluation phase and recommends suggestions to improve in-car computer screens and for future simulation studies.
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    Human Factors Evaluation of Driver Multitasking and Genesis Message Formats
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 1996-02) Stackhouse, Stirling P.; Burrus, Max
    This research established a concise set of human factors guidelines for evaluating devices and also assessed the Genesis project's message format suitability. It provides a literature review and synthesis of human factors relating to the use of devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, and car radios, and to other tasks that drivers may undertake while driving. The work revealed that the use of information-providing devices such as pagers or PDAs will increase information processing workload; that the findings from the use of a particular device under particular conditions cannot be generalized to other devices or conditions; and that only empirical findings will show whether and under what conditions reading traffic information displayed on pagers or PDAs will seriously degrade driving performance. Work on message format evaluation showed that message formats could be improved and that improvement would result in better legibility and comprehension and decrease the time a driver would attend to the display.
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    The Interaction of Non-Driving Tasks with Driving
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 1995-02) Dewing, Wende L.; Johnson, Sara M.; Stackhouse, Stirling P.
    Drivers often perform tasks alone or in combination that don't relate to control of their vehicle. This experiment evaluates the impact on simulated driving of performing non-driving tasks. The results showed that some of these tasks significantly degraded driving performance. The task that required drivers to use the map device caused the greatest problem. In addition, older drivers performed less well than younger drivers. The study shows objective reasons for evaluating the trade-offs between maximizing traffic safety and providing drivers with information that requires a high degree of visual attention. In the experiment, drivers performed the following secondary tasks alone, as pairs, or all three simultaneously: talking on a simulated cellular telephone, finding an object in an enclosed container, and using a special radio with head-up map and text displays. The experiment required drivers to maintain speeds of 25 to 30 miles per hour, keep the car centered in their traffic lane, and respond quickly to the appearance of simulated brake lights. Researchers divided subjects into four groups of 10 members each: young females and males with an average age of 31 and older females and males with an average age of 70.
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    Retroreflective Sheeting Materials on Highway Signs
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 1996-02) Tranchida, Donna; Arthur, Erik; Stackhouse, Stirling P.
    In a road research project, older drivers were asked to read street names as soon as they were able as they were approaching an intersection. The signs were always on the far sides of the intersection but could be either on the right or left side. Intersections of three levels of complexity were used. A repeated measures design was used. All main effects and all but one of the interactions were significant. The legibility distances obtained from 864 trials using 18 subjects showed that Diamond Grade and VIP Diamond Grade sheeting were equivalent but that both were significantly superior to High Intensity Grade sheeting which was in turn significantly superior to Engineering Grade. The differences among sheeting grades were more apparent at the more complex intersections. The viewing conditions on some of the streets resulted in reduced visibility and conspicuity causing markedly reduced legibility distances. There were no performance differences based on gender. The implications for driving safety were discussed in the context of visual information processing workload, divided attention and multitasking.