Citation

Ulrich TA, Barton BK, Lew R. Transp. Res. F Traffic Psychol. Behav. 2014; 26: 151-159.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trf.2014.07.003

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Recent research indicated that auditory detection and localization of approaching vehicles play roles in pedestrian safety. The present study examined detection and localization of recorded sounds of approaching target vehicles in the presence of competing noise from a second vehicle. Forty-one adults completed an auditory vehicle detection task comprising competing and non-competing vehicle noise conditions. Auditory vehicle detection performance was significantly better in the non-competing condition than the competing condition. Specifically, participants performance in the non-competing condition included larger detection distances, and more accurate localizations. We conclude that auditory perception of vehicles suffers significantly when competing noise from a second vehicle is present, and we discuss implications for pedestrian safety.