The role of off-path glances: A quantitative analysis of rear-end conflicts involving Chinese professional truck drivers as the striking partners

Journal article, 2020

© 2020 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd Introduction: Rear-end crashes are one of the most frequent crash types in China, leading to significant economic and societal losses. The development of active safety systems – such as Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEBS) – could avoid or mitigate the consequences of these crashes in Chinese traffic situations. However, a clear understanding of the crash causation mechanisms is necessary for the design of these systems. Method: Manually coded variables were extracted from a naturalistic driving study conducted with commercial vehicles in Shanghai. Quantitative analyses of rear-end crashes and near crashes (CNC) were conducted to assess the prevalence, duration, and location of drivers’ off-path glances, the influence of lead vehicle brake lights on drivers’ last off-path glance, and driver brake onset, and the influence of off-path glances and kinematic criticality on drivers’ response to conflicts. Results: The results indicate that the Chinese truck drivers in our study rarely engage in distracting activities involving a phone or other handheld objects while driving. Instead, they direct their off-path glances mainly toward the mirrors, and the duration of off-path glances leading to critical situations are shorter compared to earlier analyses performed in Western countries. The drivers also often keep small margins. Conclusions: Overall, the combination of short time headway with off-path glances directed toward the mirror originates visual mismatches which, associated to a rapid change in the kinematic situation, cause the occurrence of rear-end CNC. When drivers look back toward the road after an off-path glance, a fast response seems to be triggered by lower values of looming compared to previous studies, possibly because of the short time headways. Practical Application: The results have practical implications for the development of driver models, for the design of active safety systems and automated driving, and for the design of campaigns promoting safe driving.