Citation

Mourant RR, Donohue RJ. Transp. Res. Rec. 1979; 737: 95-104.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The mirror-use behavior of drivers was investigated as they gathered information from rearview mirrors in order to execute freeway lane changes and merges. Nine drivers (three novice, three experienced, and three mature) drove a 1973 Buick LeSabre with and without a right-side fender-mounted convex mirror along a 22.5-km (14-mile) freeway route. The total time to obtain information per maneuver was the same for both cases. In a subsequent study, the mirror-use behavior of five subjects who drove a 1976 Nova without a right-side convex mirror was compared with that of 12 subjects who drove the same vehicle with a right-side door-mounted convex mirror. Again there were no differences in total time to obtain rear-vision information. Experienced drivers (mean age = 24) took less time to obtain information when a right-side convex mirror was available than when it was not; older drivers (mean age = 61) took more time. Also, experienced drivers required about 10 h of driving experience to become efficient users of a right-side convex mirror, while older drivers required considerably more driving experience. Finally, a comparison of right-side door- and fender-mounted convex mirrors indicated that the drivers' total time to obtain information was the same for each mounting location, but drivers who had the fender-mounted mirror made a greater number of direct looks to the rear.