Psy 410 Accident Analysis Paper
Lauren Markow
Professor Marc Gentzler
PSY 410
14 November 2013
Accident Analysis Project
Expectancy
As individuals carry on in life they develop expectancies. Expectancy is what we expect to occur in a familiar situation. We expect a doorknob to twist clockwise and a light switch to go down when we want the light off. Expectancies are carried over to driving. Dewar, Farber, & Olson (2010), discusses how common practices have been developed while designing vehicles, road-design and signage so that a certain expectancies can be developed. This expectancy allows for drivers to be ready and aware of the situations they may be encountered on the roads. When people’s expectancies are challenged they must adjust and establish …show more content…
a new pattern of thinking, responding, and, in some cases, reacting. In the case of the accident Vehicle A was familiar with the rural road. The driver expected his drive home to be accustomed to his expectations. However, his expectations were not met, as he perceived Vehicle B driving in is his lane. As we know, in the United States automobiles are to drive in the right lane. This situation led to the driver of Vehicle A to be confused, as stated in the report. This confusion effected his perception and how he responded to the situation.
Glare.
Glare is when a light source, such as the sun or headlights, causes discomfort and disability to an individual. This occurs due to the angle of the glare source and the task. Glare is classified by discomfort glare and disability glare. Discomfort glare may occur during the day and at night. The bright sunlight and headlights of an oncoming vehicle can cause the same feeling of discomfort. The actual cause of the discomfort is unknown, however there is much research being done to discover the optimum amount of incoming light source before a person feels discomfort. On the other hand, disability glare is based on the angle of the light source and the target. This causes a reaction within the inner eyeball and the light is displaced within the optic media. This type of glare may cause a momentary loss of vision and impairs the individual who is performing the task. The best example of disability glare is driving on a two-lane road and the oncoming vehicle’s headlights produce more glare as the vehicle approaches. The light source has taken up a significant portion of your vision and it can be dangerous. Glare could have been a contributor to this accident. The drivers in Vehicle A and Vehicle B probably experienced discomfort and disability glare. For Vehicle A, as the third car approached (the one in his opposite lane), the disability glare took up most of his sight. This created a momentary blindness and furthered impaired his decision-making. Even though designers continue to innovate headlights, they are one of the greatest causes of glare and contribute to multiple accidents.
General visibility.
Dominguez & Gentzler (2011) states “The human eye functions best at high levels of illumination. This is due to visual receptors called cones, which are densely packed in the fovea of the retina that control vision in brighter light.” General visibility can be affected by many factors. If a researcher is looking at the general visibility for a driver they can consider the windshield visibility, blind spots, the weather, street lighting, and vehicle lighting. These are just a few of the variables that can affect a driver’s visibility. Recent reports discuss the limited visibility of Arizona drivers. Several natural occurrences, such as dust storms, wildfires, and sun glare, are creating for less than desirable driving conditions. All who drive hope for ideal driving conditions, but unfortunately the rain, dust, snow, and in this case fog are occurrences that must be considered. Vehicle designers and engineers are continuing to compensate with larger windshields, new headlights, and extra mirrors.
During this accident, general visibility was limited by the fact that it occurred at night. Research confirms that our vision is limited more at night then it is in the day. The report also indicated that there was fog and rain after and before the accident. These weather conditions further limited the driver’s general visibility. In addition there was no streetlights, road markings, or reflectors. All of these components affected the driver’s reaction time and may have contributed to the crash.
Dark adaptation.
Is the adjustment of the eye to low light intensities, involving reflex dilation of the pupil and activation of the rod cells in preference to the cone cells (Brown & Page, 1939).
To illustrate this, think of a time when you walk into a dark room from a brightly lit room, initially the person is blinded and eventually the images in the room are seen. The pupils dilate to allow more light into the eye. In contrast, during light adaptation the pupils constrict to let less light to enter the eye. Individuals’ reaction to the light and the type of light will result in varying rates of adjustment to the eye. There has been much research done on pupil dilation and dark adaptation. Further research has been done to discover the difference on Foveal and extrafovel adaptation. Interestingly, Foveal adaptation is supposed to be focused on the cones only and extrafovel adaptation is connected with the rods (Cook, 1934). This kind of research is valuable because it takes into account both monocular and binocular light …show more content…
adaptation. In the accident the driver’s eyes were setting into dark adaptation. For the first five to seven minutes of his drive the cons of his eyes were more sensitive to light. However, as he continued down the dark rural road his rods took over and his rods were more sensitive to the light. The examiner could not say for certain if the headlights of Vehicle B were on at impact. If the driver of Vehicle B turned her lights off right before impact it would have reset the dark adaptation process of Vehicle A’s eyes. This would momentarily blind his eyes.
Road illusions
Road illusions occur on the road both day and night.
However at night these illusions can be extremely dangerous. For example, linear perspective, which is a type of monocular depth cue, occurs when parallel lines extend out from an observer and appears to merge together as distance increases (Dominguez & Gentzler, 2011). Using only one eye, a person can process a monocular cue. Linear perspective allows an individual to perceive the depth and distance of an object. It also supports the idea that the smaller the object appears than the further it must be.
In the case of the accident Vehicle A had limited depth cues because there wasn’t any streetlights to illuminate the rural road. Therefore, the driver could not gauge where the vehicle was located and at what rate it was moving (from the report Vehicle B was not moving). The limited illumination from the driver’s headlights and absence of streetlights contributed to the road illusion and contributed to the driver’s confusion.
Perception-reaction
time.
Dewar, Farber, & Olson (2010), state that PRT is the interval between the appearance of some object or condition in the driver’s field of view and the initiation of a response. Perception-reaction can be broken into four stages: detection, identification, decision, and response. Detection is becoming aware of the situation. Identification is deciding what it is or what is happening. Then, a decision is to be made on what action, if any, is to be taken. Finally, the response is taking the action. There is little evidence that shows someone’s precise PRT, because many factors come into account when trying to recreate the scenario. A person’s reaction time can be affected by limited visibility, fatigue, age, and the use of chemicals or alcohol (Dewar, Farber, & Olson, 2010).
We do not know exactly when Vehicle A noticed Vehicle B. However, it is noted that he spotted the vehicle at approximately 689 feet away and drove off of the road about 75 feet away from Vehicle B. There is knowledge that he had a limited P-R time because he was driving 60 mph at the time of impact. We must keep in mind that the driver of Vehicle A had a BAC taken at 3:52am was .167. He also failed some aspects of a field sobriety test. Being that the driver was under the influence of alcohol further reduced his perception-reaction time.
References
Brown, R. H., & Page, H. E. (1939). Pupil dilatation and dark adaptation. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 25(4), 347-360. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0060296
Cook, T. W. (1934). Binocular and monocular relations in foveal dark adaptation. Psychological Monographs, 45(3), i-86. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0093353
Dominguez, V., & Gentzler, M. (2011). How perceptual and Cognitive Factors are Involved in a Car Accident. The University of Central Florida Undergraduate Research Journal, 5, 41-50.
Olson, P.L., Dewar, R., Farber, E., (2010). Forensic aspects of driver perception and response. Tuscan, Az: lawyers & judges publishing company, inc.
Professor Marc Gentzler
PSY 410
14 November 2013
Accident Analysis Project
Expectancy
As individuals carry on in life they develop expectancies. Expectancy is what we expect to occur in a familiar situation. We expect a doorknob to twist clockwise and a light switch to go down when we want the light off. Expectancies are carried over to driving. Dewar, Farber, & Olson (2010), discusses how common practices have been developed while designing vehicles, road-design and signage so that a certain expectancies can be developed. This expectancy allows for drivers to be ready and aware of the situations they may be encountered on the roads. When people’s expectancies are challenged they must adjust and establish …show more content…
a new pattern of thinking, responding, and, in some cases, reacting. In the case of the accident Vehicle A was familiar with the rural road. The driver expected his drive home to be accustomed to his expectations. However, his expectations were not met, as he perceived Vehicle B driving in is his lane. As we know, in the United States automobiles are to drive in the right lane. This situation led to the driver of Vehicle A to be confused, as stated in the report. This confusion effected his perception and how he responded to the situation.
Glare.
Glare is when a light source, such as the sun or headlights, causes discomfort and disability to an individual. This occurs due to the angle of the glare source and the task. Glare is classified by discomfort glare and disability glare. Discomfort glare may occur during the day and at night. The bright sunlight and headlights of an oncoming vehicle can cause the same feeling of discomfort. The actual cause of the discomfort is unknown, however there is much research being done to discover the optimum amount of incoming light source before a person feels discomfort. On the other hand, disability glare is based on the angle of the light source and the target. This causes a reaction within the inner eyeball and the light is displaced within the optic media. This type of glare may cause a momentary loss of vision and impairs the individual who is performing the task. The best example of disability glare is driving on a two-lane road and the oncoming vehicle’s headlights produce more glare as the vehicle approaches. The light source has taken up a significant portion of your vision and it can be dangerous. Glare could have been a contributor to this accident. The drivers in Vehicle A and Vehicle B probably experienced discomfort and disability glare. For Vehicle A, as the third car approached (the one in his opposite lane), the disability glare took up most of his sight. This created a momentary blindness and furthered impaired his decision-making. Even though designers continue to innovate headlights, they are one of the greatest causes of glare and contribute to multiple accidents.
General visibility.
Dominguez & Gentzler (2011) states “The human eye functions best at high levels of illumination. This is due to visual receptors called cones, which are densely packed in the fovea of the retina that control vision in brighter light.” General visibility can be affected by many factors. If a researcher is looking at the general visibility for a driver they can consider the windshield visibility, blind spots, the weather, street lighting, and vehicle lighting. These are just a few of the variables that can affect a driver’s visibility. Recent reports discuss the limited visibility of Arizona drivers. Several natural occurrences, such as dust storms, wildfires, and sun glare, are creating for less than desirable driving conditions. All who drive hope for ideal driving conditions, but unfortunately the rain, dust, snow, and in this case fog are occurrences that must be considered. Vehicle designers and engineers are continuing to compensate with larger windshields, new headlights, and extra mirrors.
During this accident, general visibility was limited by the fact that it occurred at night. Research confirms that our vision is limited more at night then it is in the day. The report also indicated that there was fog and rain after and before the accident. These weather conditions further limited the driver’s general visibility. In addition there was no streetlights, road markings, or reflectors. All of these components affected the driver’s reaction time and may have contributed to the crash.
Dark adaptation.
Is the adjustment of the eye to low light intensities, involving reflex dilation of the pupil and activation of the rod cells in preference to the cone cells (Brown & Page, 1939).
To illustrate this, think of a time when you walk into a dark room from a brightly lit room, initially the person is blinded and eventually the images in the room are seen. The pupils dilate to allow more light into the eye. In contrast, during light adaptation the pupils constrict to let less light to enter the eye. Individuals’ reaction to the light and the type of light will result in varying rates of adjustment to the eye. There has been much research done on pupil dilation and dark adaptation. Further research has been done to discover the difference on Foveal and extrafovel adaptation. Interestingly, Foveal adaptation is supposed to be focused on the cones only and extrafovel adaptation is connected with the rods (Cook, 1934). This kind of research is valuable because it takes into account both monocular and binocular light …show more content…
adaptation. In the accident the driver’s eyes were setting into dark adaptation. For the first five to seven minutes of his drive the cons of his eyes were more sensitive to light. However, as he continued down the dark rural road his rods took over and his rods were more sensitive to the light. The examiner could not say for certain if the headlights of Vehicle B were on at impact. If the driver of Vehicle B turned her lights off right before impact it would have reset the dark adaptation process of Vehicle A’s eyes. This would momentarily blind his eyes.
Road illusions
Road illusions occur on the road both day and night.
However at night these illusions can be extremely dangerous. For example, linear perspective, which is a type of monocular depth cue, occurs when parallel lines extend out from an observer and appears to merge together as distance increases (Dominguez & Gentzler, 2011). Using only one eye, a person can process a monocular cue. Linear perspective allows an individual to perceive the depth and distance of an object. It also supports the idea that the smaller the object appears than the further it must be.
In the case of the accident Vehicle A had limited depth cues because there wasn’t any streetlights to illuminate the rural road. Therefore, the driver could not gauge where the vehicle was located and at what rate it was moving (from the report Vehicle B was not moving). The limited illumination from the driver’s headlights and absence of streetlights contributed to the road illusion and contributed to the driver’s confusion.
Perception-reaction
time.
Dewar, Farber, & Olson (2010), state that PRT is the interval between the appearance of some object or condition in the driver’s field of view and the initiation of a response. Perception-reaction can be broken into four stages: detection, identification, decision, and response. Detection is becoming aware of the situation. Identification is deciding what it is or what is happening. Then, a decision is to be made on what action, if any, is to be taken. Finally, the response is taking the action. There is little evidence that shows someone’s precise PRT, because many factors come into account when trying to recreate the scenario. A person’s reaction time can be affected by limited visibility, fatigue, age, and the use of chemicals or alcohol (Dewar, Farber, & Olson, 2010).
We do not know exactly when Vehicle A noticed Vehicle B. However, it is noted that he spotted the vehicle at approximately 689 feet away and drove off of the road about 75 feet away from Vehicle B. There is knowledge that he had a limited P-R time because he was driving 60 mph at the time of impact. We must keep in mind that the driver of Vehicle A had a BAC taken at 3:52am was .167. He also failed some aspects of a field sobriety test. Being that the driver was under the influence of alcohol further reduced his perception-reaction time.
References
Brown, R. H., & Page, H. E. (1939). Pupil dilatation and dark adaptation. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 25(4), 347-360. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0060296
Cook, T. W. (1934). Binocular and monocular relations in foveal dark adaptation. Psychological Monographs, 45(3), i-86. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0093353
Dominguez, V., & Gentzler, M. (2011). How perceptual and Cognitive Factors are Involved in a Car Accident. The University of Central Florida Undergraduate Research Journal, 5, 41-50.
Olson, P.L., Dewar, R., Farber, E., (2010). Forensic aspects of driver perception and response. Tuscan, Az: lawyers & judges publishing company, inc.