Lights could put the brakes on rear-end crashes

07/24/06

QUT Masters student Craig Roughan hopes to put the brakes on rear-end crashes. Image Credit: Queensland University of Technology

Tests by Craig Roughan, a Masters student with QUT's Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, indicated that most people were more responsive to adaptive brakelights than the standard lights that turn on and off.

"Adaptive brakelights provide a visual representation of how quickly a vehicle is decelerating, alerting the driver behind," he said. "The harder you brake, the more of the brakelight lights up."

Currently all vehicles are fitted with tail brakelights and either a brakelight in the car's spoiler or rear window which goes on and off as the brakes are applied.

Mr Roughan said adaptive brakes, on the other hand, indicated via a band of lights whether a vehicle was decelerating slowing or rapidly.

"Essentially the adaptive brakelights did prove better overall, with six of the eight age and gender groups tested performing better on the variable brake light interfaces," he said.

"Younger drivers tended to interact well with the test simulator, however the most responsive drivers were women aged 36 to 45, who showed a considerable performance increase during the adaptive brake light test.

"These drivers were found to be very vigilant when it came to maintaining the correct distance while following another virtual vehicle."

As part of Mr Roughan's study, a driving simulator was set up to analyse driver responses to three different brakelight interfaces in QUT's Human-Centred Design Research and Usability Laboratory.

Mr Roughan said the driving simulator was comparable to driving an arcade race game.

He said participants had a steering wheel and brake pedal and were required to remain a certain distance behind a vehicle that was projected on to a wall.

Mr Roughan said there was a real concern about the number of rear-end accidents in Australia, with bonnet-to-boot collisions accounting for one in five crashes on Queensland roads.

"I think most people have either run into the back of another car, been hit in the back by another car or at least know someone who has been rear-ended," he said.

Mr Roughan said he hoped the results of his study would provide valuable information to automobile designers and researchers to help them design safer vehicles.

"Whilst this study is indicative only and may not prompt the immediate change of brakelight interfaces, it has yielded some positive results. I think my study definitely shows there is a need for further research in this area."

Source / Credit: Queensland University of Technology