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Human Factors

Driver performance

Human factors is the study of how people interact with their environment — how a driver responds to what appears ahead, when a driver is expected to detect a hazard and how and when a driver is expected to respond.

Our experts have published on recognition distance, hazard perception, perception-response time, driver response to slow and stopped lead vehicles (looming), eye glance behavior, retroreflective materials, and taking and displaying fair and accurate nighttime photographs and video. We apply that literature and the naturalistic driving datasets behind it to a wide range of complex real-world incidents.

Scope

What this covers

Driver behavior

  • Perception-response time
  • Typical driver behavior
  • Driver eye glance behavior
  • Hazard detection
  • Response to stopped or slow-moving vehicles
  • Distracted driving
  • Interaction with autonomous and driver-assist systems

Peer-reviewed research

Published work behind this practice area

Authored by our experts and peer-reviewed by external experts.

All publications

Who does this work

Experts on this practice area

Justin Ngo

PE, ACTAR

Accident reconstruction, human factors, and vehicle testing

  • Heavy truck and passenger vehicle reconstruction
  • Human factors: perception, attention, and response
  • Premise slip, trip, and fall analysis
  • Vehicle testing, instrumentation, and data analysis

4 publications

Jeffrey Suway

PE, ACTAR

Visibility and conspicuity, human factors, and accident reconstruction

  • Night visibility and conspicuity
  • Lighting issues
  • Human factors
  • Accident reconstruction

27 publications

Request a case review

Send us the incident location, the date, and what is in dispute. We'll discuss what analysis is possible with the evidence that exists, and what it would take to get.