Citation

Evans L. Proc. Hum. Factors Ergon. Soc. Annu. Meet. 1978; 22(1): 437-442.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1978, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1071181378022001117

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Data are examined from two published experimental studies in which drivers were instructed to drive other than normally, with the traffic: for example, to minimize fuel consumption or to minimize trip time. It is found that, in general, for each one percent increase (decrease) in trip time compared to driving normally with the trffic, the fuel consumption increases (decreases) by ∼1.1%. However, expert drivers can save fuel without increasing trip time by skillfully adjusting their speed to avoid stops at traffic signals. It is shown that the formal problem to be solved to minimize fuel consumption on an urban trip is so complicated that even a "perfect" fuel economy meter would not enable a driver to achieve this minimum.

Language: en