The Effects of Restricted Preview on Driver Steering Control and Performance

Abstract

Driver steering control and performance were studied for straight-lane driving under conditions of restricted far-sight distance. The far-sight distance necessary for the driver to adequately align the car was found to be 70 ft. and was independent of vehicle speeds of 20 and 30 m.p.h. With far-sight distances beyond 70 ft., there was no improvement in driver steering performance. Spectral analysis of steering wheel angle showed peaks in the frequency range 0.1 to 0.3 Hz. The value of the peak frequency was affected by allowed preview time, where preview time was far-sight distance divided by vehicle speed. Cross-correlation analysis suggested that the peaks were associated with the driver's control of vehicle heading angle. Higher frequency peaks were observed in the range 0.35 to 0.6 Hz. These peaks were more likely to occur under conditions of severely reduced preview.

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