Forensic Aspects of Driver Perception and Response, Second Edition

This brand new third edition of Forensic Aspects of Driver Perception and Response contains the most current information available in the area of driver perception and perception-response time. Existing chapters have been expanded, providing in-depth coverage of areas such as light reflecting surfaces, visibility enhancing materials, driver age, gender and experience, fatigue, speed perception and vehicle size, vehicle lighting and marking, glare, and more. Many of these were only briefly mentioned or not included in the earlier editions. Additionally, new chapters have been added to present completely new material on many related driver perception and response issues including roadway design and the driver, work zones, railroad grade crossings, roadway signage, weather and driving and driver distraction.

Eugene Farber has been working in the area of traffic safety, driver behavior and human factors since 1965. In January 1999 he retired from the Ford Motor Company after a career of twenty-eight years and is now providing forensic consulting services in traffic accident cases. At retirement he held a dual appointment in Ford's Vehicle Safety Research Department and the Automotive Safety Office. His most recent project at Ford was a study of the visual workload of drivers using advanced car navigation systems. He also participated in the Ford/GM/NHTSA Cooperative Research Program on Front Obstacle Warning Systems. Earlier he was with the Safety Research Department at Ford where he directed human factors and crash avoidance research in such areas as driver vision, direct and indirect fields of view, lighting, vehicle control and collision-countermeasure modeling. Until recently he chaired the SAE Safety and Human Factors Committee and was active in international standards activities. Before coming to Ford, Mr. Farber was at the Franklin Institute Research Laboratories where he conducted studies for the Federal Highway Administration on various topics, including highway lighting systems, pavement friction requirements, and driver judgment and decision-making in passing maneuvers on two-lane highways. He is the author of over sixty research publications and presentations in automotive human factors and traffic safety.

Paul L. Olson, Ph.D., has enjoyed a long career in human factors since receiving his Ph.D. in industrial psychology from Purdue University in 1959. He is a fellow of both the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the American Psychological Association. He is also a recipient of the A.R. Lauer Traffic Safety Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the Ralph H. Isbrandt Automotive Safety Engineering Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers.