Measurement and Interpretation of Driver Steering Behavior and Performance

Models have been developed to describe the dynamic response and performance of drivers, vehicles, and driver-vehicle systems; and recent experiments have provided some quantification and refinement. This paper summarizes the theory and the data, and attempts to provide part of the transition between properties of the human and the assessment of safety performance in driving. The model and data shown emphasize steering or directional control situations. Simulation experiments with random crosswind gust disturbances were used to measure driver-vehicle describing functions for a number of driver subjects and experimental replications. The results are consistent with previous data and show good repeatability within subjects on successive runs. Interpretation of the data in terms of the driver-vehicle model indicates that the driver's outputs can be explained in simplest terms as functions of lateral position and heading. The results demonstrate that driver-vehicle system dynamic response properties can be modeled and measured for a class of important driving tasks. They also provide direct experimental verification of the applicability of driver-vehicle theory for situations where the driver obtains his information from a real-world visual simulation.