Study 1: Understanding Driving
Steering is required in various driving contexts, for example,
parking, stopping at an intersection and turning into another
lane. However, in these situations the vehicle is moving at
a low speed and –when blinded– the driver can simply stop
the vehicle without jeopardizing the safety of other drivers.
Steering at higher speeds typically happens when changing
lanes or taking an exit, in which case the driver only has to
steer for a very brief period (less than a few seconds). Steering
for longer periods at a constant speed only occurs when
there is a curvature in the road, with the most extreme case
when a driver has to take a 270 loop ramp when driving over
a cloverleaf highway interchange. Haptic feedback would be
the most useful in this context as drivers have a greater risk of
getting blinded due to the significant change in direction and
a greater risk of an accident due to having to steer for a prolonged
period. For this study, we therefore analyze driving
behavior when driving on a curved road.