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Comparing Speed Estimations from a Moving Vehicle in Different Traffic Scenarios: Absence versus Presence of Traffic Flow

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Ángela Conchillo*
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Miguel Ángel Recarte
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Luis Nunes
Affiliation:
Departamento de Investigación y Formación Vial. Dirección General de Tráfico. Madrid
Trinidad Ruiz
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ángela Conchillo, Facultad de Psicología.Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Campus de Somosaguas. 28223 – Madrid (Spain). e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study the performance in a speed estimation task of a passenger travelling in a real car in different scenarios: a closed track used in previous experimental studies was compared with interurban traffic environment involving a secondary road and a highway. At the same time, the effect of sex and driving experience on speed estimation was analyzed. Thirty-six participants (18 male and 18 female, half of each group being drivers and half non-drivers) estimated the speed of the car in which they travelled as passengers. The actual speed values varied in the range of 40-100 km/h for the secondary road, 70-120 km/h for the highway condition, and 40-120 km/h for the track. The results obtained for the track in previous studies (Recarte & Nunes, 1996; Recarte, Conchillo, & Nunes, 2004, 2005) were replicated in the same condition and were also verified for the secondary road scenario. However, a different pattern of errors was found for the highway. From the viewpoint of psychophysics, the participants were more accurate on the without-traffic track than in real traffic conditions, considered as a whole. The differences found between road and highway are discussed. No effect was found for between- subject variables, sex, and driving experience.

El objetivo de esta investigación es comparar las estimaciones de la velocidad de un coche real circulando en diferentes escenarios: un circuito sin tráfico, utilizado en estudios experimentales previos, se compara con un escenario interurbano abierto al tráfico, consistente en un tramo de carretera convencional y un tramo de autovía. Asimismo se analiza el efecto del sexo y la experiencia de conducción sobre las estimaciones de la velocidad. Treinta y seis participantes (mitad varones, mitad mujeres y, por experiencia, mitad conductores y mitad no conductores) estimaron la velocidad del coche en el que iban sentados como pasajeros. Las velocidades a estimar variaron de 40 a 100 km/h en carretera, de 70 a 120 km/h en autovía, y de 40 a 120km/h en el circuito. Los resultados obtenidos en circuito replicaron los de estudios previos (Recarte y Nunes, 1996; Recarte, Conchillo y Nunes, 2004; 2005), y también los obtenidos en carretera. Sin embargo, la estimación en autovía presentó un patrón de errores diferente a los anteriores. Desde el punto de vista de la psicofísica, los sujetos estimaron con más precisión en el circuito sin tráfico que en las dos condiciones de tráfico real, carretera y autovía, en su conjunto. Se comentan las diferencias entre carretera y autovía. No se encontraron diferencias debidas a las variables inter-sujetos, sexo y experiencia en conducción.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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