Mexican Media Brands
Study: Drivers Likely to Miss Multiple Hazards
Motorists who spot a traffic hazard are less likely to see a second simultaneous threat, says researchers at North Carolina State University.
Share
Motorists who spot a traffic hazard are less likely to see a second simultaneous threat, says researchers at North Carolina State University.
The study presented participants with 100 traffic images containing between zero and two hazards that would affect a driver’s ability to perform a maneuver, such as a left turn. Test subjects were given as little as one second to identify such hazards.
Results showed that participants successfully spotted 70% of subtle hazards—a drably dressed jogger, for example—when there was no other danger. But when a more obvious hazard was added, such as a man on a bicycle directly ahead (pictured above), participants noticed the less obvious threat only 30% of the time.
In a related study, the researchers gave participants five seconds to examine a scene and were told ahead of time whether there was a high or low chance that the image would contain multiple hazards. Even then, the chance of missing a second and more subtle danger was greater.
The researchers say the phenomenon, called “subsequent search miss,” was first described in terms of doctors evaluating medical images. In that study, doctors who saw one problem in an image were less likely to spot another one.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Startup Readies Solar-Powered EV
Germany’s Sono Motors GmbH says it has received 5,000 orders for its upcoming Sion electric car, which can be partially recharged by it attached solar panels.
-
On Ford Maverick, Toyota Tundra Hybrid, and GM's Factory Footprint
GM is transforming its approach to the auto market—and its factories. Ford builds a small truck for the urban market. Toyota builds a full-size pickup and uses a hybrid instead of a diesel. And Faurecia thinks that hydrogen is where the industry is going.
-
Toyota Employees to Aid Michigan V2X Research
Toyota Motor Corp. is encouraging employees at its research and development center near Ann Arbor, Mich., to participate in an on-going program there to test connected vehicle technologies.
