Evidence-Based Driving Assessment: A System for Objective Evaluation and Training
This is a novel system that uses sensors and a logging interface to precisely measure and quantify all types of intervention—physical and verbal—provided by a professional evaluator during an on-road driving assessment. By translating an evaluator’s expertise into quantifiable sensor data patterns, the system provides an objective, evidence-based foundation for making critical driver fitness and licensing recommendations.
Description
The technology is a sophisticated data acquisition and logging system designed to operate in a vehicle, typically one equipped with secondary evaluator controls, such as a dual-control vehicle. The system uses three primary sensor mechanisms to quantify evaluator assistance: a braking sensor system to measure the use of the evaluator's brake actuator; a steering sensor system to measure manual steering interventions; and a dedicated verbal cue logging system for the evaluator to categorize and log instructional or critical verbal assistance. The core innovation lies in the non-contact, wireless steering sensor system, which uses strategically placed magnets on the steering wheel perimeter and proximity sensors worn by the evaluator (e.g., in a ring or glove) to isolate and measure the evaluator's hand contact without physically interfering with the driver's operation. All collected sensor and logging data are time-stamped and recorded into a comprehensive data set. This process allows for automated analysis and report generation to produce a standardized, objective assessment of a driver's capability based on the frequency and duration of assisted-driving events.Applications
- Driver Rehabilitation and Training Programs for comprehensive driver assessment and remediation.- Regulatory and Licensing Agencies for making data-informed driver fitness and licensing determinations.
- Automotive Technology Developers for testing, validating, and harmonizing automated safety systems (ADAS).
- Research Institutions focused on transportation safety, policy, and human factors in driving.
Advantages
- Provides objective, quantifiable data for supervised driving evaluations, moving beyond subjective observation.- Establishes a standard of evidence-based practice by translating professional expertise into repeatable sensor data patterns.
- Offers supporting data to reinforce difficult driver fitness and licensing recommendations, promoting greater advocacy and policy.
- Quantifies the frequency and duration of specific errors, covering both physical control deficiencies (steering/braking assistance) and unsafe driving decisions (verbal cues).
- Allows for the testing and comparison of the performance of prototype or simulated automated vehicle safety systems against a professional's intervention data.