Pedal Error Among Car Drivers: A Review on The Research Approach and Setup

The movement of the driver’s foot from one pedal to another is a blind positioning movement. Variability of driver’s foot movement might lead to pedal error or pedal misapplication. In this paper, we reviewed the research focus in the pedal error study, who are the participants involved in the study, what kind of approach or method used to perform the pedal error study, how is the test setup, test condition, and flow of the study, and what are the factors influencing the pedal error accidents. The review searched relevant articles based on five keywords: pedal errors, pedal misapplication, sudden unintended acceleration (SUA), automotive foot pedals, and sudden acceleration accidents. Based on the review, the research focus is focusing on the factors causing the pedal error, understanding the fundamental principles of pedal misapplications, and characteristics of pedal errors among older drivers. The pedal error study has been conducted either using the naturalistic driving, driving simulation, or survey. The pedal error among ASEAN drivers is essential since there is no study related to this topic has been conducted in any ASEAN countries yet.