Citation

Lajunen TJ, Karola J, Summala H. Percept. Mot. Skills 1997; 85(1): 3-16.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki. timo.lajunen@helsinki.fi

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9293550

Abstract

This study investigated different measures of speed and acceleration as indicators of safe driving style. 58 young males drove a 7.1-km test route twice in an instrumented car. Drivers were instructed to drive as they usually do. Driving style was measured by both site-specific measures (speed on a crest and speed and lateral acceleration in a sharp and a gentle curve) and general measures (maximum speed and lateral and longitudinal accelerations over the route). Analysis of variance (accident involvement x mileage) showed that drivers who had had prior accidents drove at higher speed and higher accelerations on a sharp curve than accident-free drivers. Drivers involved with accidents drove at higher maximum speed, left accelerations (at right-hand curves), and Equivalent Vector Acceleration, a mean parameter of accelerations, than accident-free drivers. However, multiple regression analysis indicated that only maximum speed predicted the number of accidents significantly. In conclusion, maximum speed seemed to be a convenient and robust measure of a safe driving style.

Language: en