Citation

Mortimer RG, Sturgis SP. Transp. Res. Rec. 1976; 600: 33-35.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1976, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

To introduce a new rear signal that will frequently light and at the same time often be of no relevance to a following driver is undesirable. It has already been demonstrated that the ability to detect coasting of vehicles can be accomplished by drivers fairly well by using "primary" cues such as the change in the headway gap or visual angle subtended by the vehicle. The only protentially useful information provided by a coasting signal would be to alert drivers to long coasting durations in the event that they are not detected by other means. For this reason, Mortimer suggested that a coasting signal only be presented when coasting durations exceed about 5 s because then the change in speed of the vehicle could be substantial and bring about high relative speeds and changes in headway. The findings of the current study have indicated scarely any benefits attributable to an APS, although they have indicated at least two important undesirable characteristics of it: (a) an increase in the frequency of accelerator releases by following car drivers; and (b) a frequently appearing signal on the rear of a vehicle that on most occasions provides no useful information to the drivers of following vehicles.