Advanced Driver Training Evaluation and Development

TODAY, AS IN PAST YEARS, considerable interest exists in the ability of the person in an automobile to avoid or evade rapidly impending collision situations. Much research and development has been conducted on vehicle performance capabilities to maneuver in such situations. The other component of collision avoidance is the driver. This paper summarizes recent developments for improving people performance in the avoidance situation. Two lines of development will be described:* a largescale evaluation of advanced driver training followed by an analytic study of the driver in avoidance situations.

Usually analytic studies precede development and implementation; however, two projects described herein are in reverse order. Evaluation data and experience were gained by conducting training using the best available off-the-shelf advanced driver training materials. Based on these (and other) results, directions for further research or development were determined. In this case the evaluation indicated there was sufficient promise but many unsolved questions about accident avoidance. Thus an analytic study on the benefits and nature of accident avoidance training was warranted. The first part of the analytic study was described as the second part of this paper.