Presentation
Two’s a Crowd: Factors Affecting Time-To-Collision Estimations of Multiple Approaching Vehicles
DescriptionAccurate estimates of time-to-collision (TTC) are critical to maneuver through traffic safely. Although prior research measured TTC judgments of single objects, studies of two objects are limited. Studies of relative TTC judgments of approaching objects showed that people perceived large, far objects as arriving sooner than small, near objects. Studies of absolute TTC judgments of laterally moving same-sized objects showed that estimates of first-arriving objects affected estimates of second-arriving objects; this effect decreased with larger temporal gaps between the objects. The current study measured absolute TTC judgments of two vehicles that simultaneously approached the participant and were separated by 2, 5, or 7 seconds. Participants estimated the TTC of both vehicles in each scene, which contained either two motorcycles, two trucks, or a motorcycle and a truck. Results indicated that the size of a first-arriving vehicle affected TTC estimates of the second-arriving vehicle. Larger temporal gaps resulted in safer judgments of the second-arriving vehicle compared to smaller temporal gaps. The implication is that, in traffic environments, people should be most cautious when the first-arriving vehicle is a motorcycle and when a small gap separates two approaching vehicles.
Event Type
Industry/Practitioner Content
Lecture
TimeThursday, October 16th12:10pm - 12:30pm CDT
LocationGrand A
Surface Transportation