Impact of alcohol on lane placement and glance patterns when passing a parked active law enforcement vehicle.

Details

• Creators:
  Finley, Melisa D. ; Miles, Jeffrey D.
• Corporate Creators:
  Texas A&M Transportation Institute
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Blood Alcohol Levels Brightness Drunk Drivers Eye Movements Lateral Placement Law Enforcement Police Vehicles Speed Vehicle Lighting
• Publication/ Report Number:
  ATLAS-2013-02
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  Center for Advancing Transportation Leadership and Safety (ATLAS Center)
• Abstract:
  For this project, researchers used an existing dataset from a previous research effort to investigate the moth effect
  
  theory, where it is believed that drivers drift toward bright lights. While the previous research study primarily
  
  focused on signs, on one segment of the closed-course participants drove past a law enforcement vehicle with its
  
  overhead flashing lights activated at two blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels (0.00 and 0.12 g/dL). Researchers
  
  also utilized the existing dataset to investigate how alcohol affects pupil size and vehicle speed.
  
  Within 300 ft of the law enforcement vehicle, all of the participants initially steered the vehicle away from the
  
  vehicle. However, about 250 ft upstream of the vehicle all of the participants began to drift back toward the vehicle
  
  and continued to drift toward the vehicle for approximately 200 ft, moving laterally 8 to 24 inches. Nonetheless, all
  
  participants kept the study vehicle well within in the lane lines. On average, participants drifted farther toward the
  
  law enforcement vehicle at a BAC level of 0.12 g/dL. However, the effect of BAC level on lane placement varied by
  
  participant.
  
  Researchers confirmed that the pupil diameter for the majority of participants was larger at a BAC level of 0.12 g/dL
  
  than at a BAC level of 0.00 g/dL. Participants at a BAC level of 0.12 g/dL also tended to look directly at the law
  
  enforcement vehicle less.
  
  Small differences in the vehicle speed between BAC levels were seen; however, the differences were practically
  
  negligible. Typically, the participants at the 0.00 g/dL BAC level appeared to drive more conservatively.
  
  Overall, the vehicle lane placement findings upstream of the law enforcement vehicle support the moth effect theory.
  
  In addition, the pupil diameter findings confirmed expectations regarding bright light sources and alcohol-impaired
  
  driving.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTRT13-G-UTC54
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2177ea1a4010a6039cd03fca60bbb57785a8cdef0c3ef752ec5f9f8ff375b54113b9cd5c9d55e0cad7f89bbaa1abfe0bbee34f8345517231bf91f25cce285020
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/28179/dot_28179_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.42 MB ]