Citation

Jensen M, Wagner J, Alexander K, Pidgeon P, Rogich K, Fedrizzi R. Int. J. Veh. Safety 2011; 5(4): 319-332.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Inderscience Publishers)

DOI

10.1504/IJVS.2011.045773

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The safe operation of a ground vehicle requires a combination of driver skills and behaviour, motor-vehicle knowledge, and recognition of driving conditions and environments. One dangerous scenario commonly encountered by drivers is tailgating (close following). In this paper, a lightweight tailgating device that can be installed on a sport utility vehicle (or truck) to support driver training activities will be presented. The tailgating apparatus has been field tested on a closed course as part of a safe driving programme. Objective vehicle measurements and subjective instructor evaluations revealed that 75% of students successfully completed the driving task at a passing level.


Keywords: driver behaviour; vehicle safety; driver training; tailgating; vehicle accidents; vehicle crashes; field testing; system design; sport utility vehicles; SUVs; trucks; close following.