Are older drivers’ driving patterns during an on-road driving task representative of their real-world driving patterns?

Abstract

Objective: The current study investigated whether older drivers’ driving patterns during a customized on-road driving task were representative of their real-world driving patterns.

Methods: Two hundred and eight participants (male: 68.80%; mean age?=?81.52 years, SD?=?3.37 years, range?=?76.00–96.00 years) completed a customized on-road driving task that commenced from their home and was conducted in their own vehicle. Participants’ real-world driving patterns for the preceding 4-month period were also collected via an in-car recording device (ICRD) that was installed in each participant’s vehicle.

Results: During the 4-month period prior to completing the on-road driving task, participants’ median real-world driving trip distance was 2.66?km (interquartile range [IQR]?=?1.14–5.79?km) and their median on-road driving task trip distance was 4.41?km (IQR?=?2.83–6.35?km). Most participants’ on-road driving task trip distances were classified as representative of their real-world driving trip distances (95.2%, n?=?198).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that most older drivers were able to devise a driving route that was representative of their real-world driving trip distance. Future research will examine whether additional aspects of the on-road driving task (e.g., average speed, proportion of trips in different speed zones) are representative of participants’ real-world driving patterns.     

Autonomous emergency braking systems adapted to snowy road conditions improve drivers' perceived safety and trust

Objective: This study investigated drivers' evaluation of a conventional autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system on high and reduced tire–road friction and compared these results to those of an AEB system adaptive to the reduced tire–road friction by earlier braking. Current automated systems such as the AEB do not adapt the vehicle control strategy to the road friction; for example, on snowy roads. Because winter precipitation is associated with a 19% increase in traffic crashes and a 13% increase in injuries compared to dry conditions, the potential of conventional AEB to prevent collisions could be significantly improved by including friction in the control algorithm. Whereas adaption is not legally required for a conventional AEB system, higher automated functions will have to adapt to the current tire–road friction because human drivers will not be required to monitor the driving environment at all times. For automated driving functions to be used, high levels of perceived safety and trust of occupants have to be reached with new systems. The application case of an AEB is used to investigate drivers' evaluation depending on the road condition in order to gain knowledge for the design of future driving functions.

Methods: In a driving simulator, the conventional, nonadaptive AEB was evaluated on dry roads with high friction (μ = 1) and on snowy roads with reduced friction (μ = 0.3). In addition, an AEB system adapted to road friction was designed for this study and compared with the conventional AEB on snowy roads with reduced friction. Ninety-six drivers (48 males, 48 females) assigned to 5 age groups (20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60–75 years) drove with AEB in the simulator. The drivers observed and evaluated the AEB's braking actions in response to an imminent rear-end collision at an intersection.

Results: The results show that drivers' safety and trust in the conventional AEB were significantly lower on snowy roads, and the nonadaptive autonomous braking strategy was considered less appropriate on snowy roads compared to dry roads. As expected, the adaptive AEB braking strategy was considered more appropriate for snowy roads than the nonadaptive strategy. In conditions of reduced friction, drivers' subjective safety and trust were significantly improved when driving with the adaptive AEB compared to the conventional AEB. Women felt less safe than men when AEB was braking. Differences between age groups were not of statistical significance.

Conclusions: Drivers notice the adaptation of the autonomous braking strategy on snowy roads with reduced friction. On snowy roads, they feel safer and trust the adaptive system more than the nonadaptive automation.     

上海城区交通干道黑碳污染调查

采用设置在上海市中心城区交通主干道旁空气质量自动监测站2018年1—12月的观测数据,分析黑碳气溶胶(BC)污染特征及其与PM_(2.5)、SO_2、NO_x、CO、O_3、苯、甲苯、乙苯、二甲苯和气象参数的相关性。结果表明,观测期间内,BC小时均值为(3 038±22) ng/m~3,ρ(BC)在ρ(PM_(2. 5))中占比为(11. 48±0. 12)%。日内ρ(BC)变化呈双峰型,各月份之间ρ(BC)变化不大。ρ(BC)与风速呈负相关,与PM_(2. 5)、NO_x、CO、苯、甲苯、乙苯和二甲苯呈正相关。     

基于风险的危险品道路运输安全容量研究

为了确定危险品道路运输安全容量，保障危险品道路运输安全，基于风险理念，使用对比研究方法，提出危险品道路运输个人风险基准，建立改进的危险品道路运输定量风险评估模型。结合提出的风险基准，提出危险品运输安全容量确定方法，解决了单一类别和多种类别危险品运输安全容量确定问题。研究结果表明:在某城市化工集聚区的实例应用该方法，能够大幅度降低危险品道路运输潜在生命损失，有助于保障危险品道路运输安全。     

汽车道路试验安全管理体系建设研究

为了保障汽车道路试验安全、提高安全管理水平,设计提出汽车道路试验安全管理体系(SMS)总方案。根据OHSAS 18001和安全标准化规范的特点分析,论证了融合两种体系建立道路试验SMS的适用性。并从政策与目标、风险管理、安全保证和安全促进四个模块阐述了该体系的搭建思路、框架内容和搭建步骤。最后,以某自主品牌车企研发中心道路试验的应用情况为例进行效果评估,结果表明:汽车道路试验SMS能有效防控风险、提升试验安全管理水平。     

Perceptions of safety on a shared road: Driving,cycling, or walking near an autonomous vehicle

Introduction: While improved safety is a highly cited potential benefit of autonomous vehicles (AVs), at the same time a frequently cited concern is the new safety challenges that AVs introduce. The literature lacks a rigorous exploration of the safety perceptions of road users who will interact with AVs, including vulnerable road users. Addressing this gap is essential because the successful integration of AVs into transportation systems hinges on an understanding of how all road users will react to their presence. Methods: A stated preference survey of the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan statistical area (Phoenix MSA) was conducted in July 2018. A series of ordered probit models was estimated to analyze the survey responses and identify differences between various population groups with respect to the perceived safety of driving, cycling, and walking near AVs. Results: Greater exposure to and awareness of AVs are not uniformly associated with increases in perceived safety. Various attitudinal factors, level of AV automation, and other intrinsic and extrinsic factors are related to safety perceptions of driving, walking, and cycling near AVs. Socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, income, employment, and automobile usage and ownership, have various relationships with perceived safety. Conclusions: Cycling near an AV was perceived as the least safe activity, followed by walking and then driving near an AV. Both similarities and differences were observed among the factors associated with the perceived safety of different travel alternatives. Practical Applications: Public perception will guide the development and adoption of AVs directly and indirectly. To help maintain control of public perception, transportation planners, decision makers, and other stakeholders should consider more deliberate and targeted messaging to address the concerns of different road users. In addition, more careful pilot testing and more direct attention to vulnerable road users may help avoid a backlash that could delay the rollout of this technology.     

未按规定导向车道行驶行为干预方法研究

为保障信号交叉口的正常交通秩序,充分遏制机动车未按规定导向车道行驶行为,亟需探究该行为的影响因素及干预方法。以北京市内4个信号交叉口处共35 h的1 666条监控视频数据为基础,对未按规定导向车道行驶行为进行定义并将其分为9类,分别对频率较高的5类未按规定导向车道行驶行为构建二元Logit模型,以确定其关键影响因素,并据此提出干预方法。结果表明,排队车辆数、大车比例、时段、车流量、照明条件等因素会不同程度地影响5类未按规定导向车道行驶行为的发生概率,其中排队车辆数及时间因素影响最为显著。在此基础上,从交通工程设施及驾驶人安全意识角度,提出优化交叉口渠化设计及信号配时、采用智能标线、强化监管力度及完善交通管控设施、加强驾驶人安全教育4种未按规定导向车道行驶行为干预方法。     

大气CO_2体积分数升高对油松叶片光合生理特性的影响

近年来大气CO2体积分数不断升高,虽然CO2体积分数升高对植物影响的研究已取得一定进展,但目前针对城市森林树种的相关研究甚少。利用开顶式气室研究了大气CO2体积分数升高对沈阳市城市森林主要树种油松(PinustabulaefomisCarr.)光合生理特性的影响。结果表明,整个生长季内,与对照相比,在大气CO2体积分数为700×10-6条件下,油松叶片的Chla、Chlb及Chl(a b)质量分数提高,Chla/Chlb值降低,而类胡萝卜素质量分数则呈现出降低—升高—降低的趋势;整个处理期间,净光合速率显著提高,提高幅度为23.68%～133.18%(P<0.05或P<0.01);可溶性蛋白质量分数增加,并随着处理时间延长增加幅度增大,在通气40d时就达到差异极显著水平(P<0.01);大气CO2体积分数升高促进了油松叶片中可溶性糖、淀粉的积累;实验中并未观察到光合下调现象。     

[CO2]和温度增加的相互作用对植物生长的影响

ＣＯ2 和温度是影响植物生长、发育和功能的两个关键因子 .在过去一个世纪中 ,[ＣＯ2 ]从 2 80 μｍｏｌ/ｍｏｌ增加到 36 0μｍｏｌ/ｍｏｌ且每年增长速率为 1～ 5 μｍｏｌ/ｍｏｌ,到 2 0世纪末达到更高的浓度[1] .最近的模型预测表明 ,到 2 10 0年 ,全球表面温度可能会增加 1～ 4 .5℃ [2 \〗.ＣＯ2 是光合作用的底物 ,而且还是初级代谢过程 (气孔反应和光合作用 )、光合同化物分配和生长的调节者 .温度几乎影响植物所有的生物学过程 .因此 ,在全球气候变化要素中 ,大气 [ＣＯ2 ]和温度升高对植物的生理过程和生物量及产量具有极为重要的…     

大气CO2浓度增高对不同供氮水平下水稻生长和化感物质释放的影响

利用开放式空气CO2浓度升高(free air carbon-dioxide enrichment,FACE)平台中的水培试验,研究了低氮(LN:10 mg·L-1)和高氮(HN:30 mg·L-1)水平下,大气CO2浓度升高对化感与非化感水稻(Oryza sativa L.)品种的生长、碳氮比(C/N)和化感物质含量的影响,并分析了CO2浓度升高条件下水稻C/N和化感物质含量间的相互关系.结果表明:CO2浓度升高对化感(PI)与非化感水稻品种(秀水)的生长均有极显著促进作用.CO2浓度升高后,LN条件下水稻C/N显著增加,HN条件下则无显著变化.CO2浓度升高后化感水稻品种次生代谢物质含量增加,特征化感物质含量增加,非化感品种的这种变化不显著.化感水稻品种C/N分别与次生代谢物质含量和特征化感物质含量之间呈显著正相关关系.