Car Driver Behavior during Pre-Crash Situation: Analysis with the BCD Model

This article reports on a study that used the Benefit/Cost/Deficit (BCD) model to analyze automobile drivers’ behavior during pre-crash situations. The authors focused on detection of a risky situation and its occurrence time point with the goal of triggering safety systems. They conducted an experiment with a motion-base driving simulator to investigate the effectiveness for risky situation detection. The study included 39 participants with full driving licenses in France; their average age was 26 years (range 18 to 52 years). There were two driving situations – the “stop” situation was a crossing in a very small village with two intersections. The second situation, the “crash” scenario is delimited by the distance between a truck which begins to overtake a tractor and the participant’s vehicle. Complete data for both scenarios was available for 27 participants. Factors investigated include car speed, moment applied on the steering wheel, speed of the steering wheel, and distance from the line crossing. The authors conclude that this BCD model offers a good synthesis of driver behavior in order to detect emergency situations.