01023774

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conf/CP38.pdf

Psychologists talk about road safety as a combination of three components: the driver, the vehicle, and the roadway environment. Although the distinctions were once clear-cut, they have become increasingly blurred as technology continues to facilitate the integration of functions and features. Satellite navigation brings road signs into the vehicle; antilock brakes, intelligent cruise control, radar braking, and the like shift previous driver demands onto vehicle systems. Roadway sensors and cameras enable real-time traffic information to be made available by radio, cell phone, or onboard computer screens. It remains instructive to look at these components separately as contributors to safety, but there is concern that, for all that has been accomplished to bring down the crash and fatality rates in commercial vehicle operations over the years, developments are moving in directions that will pose increasing challenges to truck and bus safety in the years ahead. There is a bright future for simulation in the training and assessment of bus and truck drivers, and it lies not with costly, high-fidelity simulators, but with relatively low-cost, part-task simulators that can be available wherever and whenever needed. Such simulators can be located in the depots of truck and bus companies, at truck stops and highway rest areas, and in other locations that professional drivers frequent. These simulators could be placed into service as part of a larger, redesigned driver training and assessment environment that provides financial, psychological, and functional incentives for their use.

Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

01023766

English

pp 59-66

2006

Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings

Future Truck and Bus Safety Research Opportunities

0309094224

Print

References

Bus drivers; Commercial drivers; Driver training; Driving simulators; Highway safety; Incentives; Truck drivers

Highways; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

TRIS, TRB

May 4 2006 1:45PM

• Analysis and Use of Commercial Vehicle Driver Data
• Context for Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Activity in 2020: Forecast of Future Directions in Truck Safety and Security
• Health and Wellness: Future Truck and Bus Safety Research Opportunities
• High-Risk Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers and Differential Crash Risk: Future Directions
• Impact of Highway and Interstate Funding Policy Decisions on Truck Safety and Truck-Involved Crashes: Future Research Needs
• Research Required to Ensure Appropriate Maintenance and Compliance for Safe Operation of Commercial Motor Vehicles in 2025
• Utilizing Future Vehicle Technology to Improve Safety