Stéphanie Cœugnet1, Aurélie Dommes2, Sabrina Panëels3, Aline Chevalier4, Fabrice Vienne2, Nguyen-Thong Dang2, Margarita Anastassova3. 1. IFSTTAR, French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks, Laboratory for Road Operations, Perception, Simulators and Simulations, 25 allée des Marronniers, 78000 Versailles, France. Electronic address: stephanie.coeugnet@gmail.com. 2. IFSTTAR, French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks, Laboratory for Road Operations, Perception, Simulators and Simulations, 25 allée des Marronniers, 78000 Versailles, France. 3. CEA, LIST, Sensory and Ambient Interfaces Laboratory, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France. 4. Laboratory CLLE (Cognition, Linguistic, Language, Ergonomics, UMR 5263, CNRS, University of Toulouse, EPHE, University of Bordeaux 3), University Toulouse 2, MDR, 5 allée A. Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex, France.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Older pedestrians are overrepresented in fatal accidents. Studies consistently show gap-acceptance difficulties, especially in complex traffic situations such as two-way streets and when vehicles approached rapidly. In this context, the present research was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a vibrotactile device and study older pedestrian's behavior when wearing the wristband designed to help them make safer street-crossing decisions. METHOD: Twenty younger-old participants (age 60-69), 20 older-old participants (age 70-80) and 17 younger adults (age 20-45) carried out a street-crossing task in a simulated two-way traffic environment with and without a vibrotactile wristband delivering warning messages. RESULTS: The percentage of decisions that led to collisions with approaching cars decreased significantly when participants wore the wristband. Benefits tended to be greater particularly among very old women, with fewer collisions in the far lane and when vehicles approached rapidly when they wore the wristband. But collisions did not fall to zero, and responses that were in accordance with the wristband advice went up to only 51.6% on average, for all participants. The wristband was nevertheless considered useful and easy to use by all participants. Moreover, behavioral intentions to buy and use such a device in the future were greater in both groups of older participants, but not among the younger adults. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This haptic device was able to partly compensate for some age-related gap-acceptance difficulties and reduce street-crossing risks for all users. These findings could be fruitfully applied to the design of devices allowing communication between vehicles, infrastructures, and pedestrians.
INTRODUCTION: Older pedestrians are overrepresented in fatal accidents. Studies consistently show gap-acceptance difficulties, especially in complex traffic situations such as two-way streets and when vehicles approached rapidly. In this context, the present research was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a vibrotactile device and study older pedestrian's behavior when wearing the wristband designed to help them make safer street-crossing decisions. METHOD: Twenty younger-old participants (age 60-69), 20 older-old participants (age 70-80) and 17 younger adults (age 20-45) carried out a street-crossing task in a simulated two-way traffic environment with and without a vibrotactile wristband delivering warning messages. RESULTS: The percentage of decisions that led to collisions with approaching cars decreased significantly when participants wore the wristband. Benefits tended to be greater particularly among very old women, with fewer collisions in the far lane and when vehicles approached rapidly when they wore the wristband. But collisions did not fall to zero, and responses that were in accordance with the wristband advice went up to only 51.6% on average, for all participants. The wristband was nevertheless considered useful and easy to use by all participants. Moreover, behavioral intentions to buy and use such a device in the future were greater in both groups of older participants, but not among the younger adults. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This haptic device was able to partly compensate for some age-related gap-acceptance difficulties and reduce street-crossing risks for all users. These findings could be fruitfully applied to the design of devices allowing communication between vehicles, infrastructures, and pedestrians.
Authors: Koen de Clercq; Andre Dietrich; Juan Pablo Núñez Velasco; Joost de Winter; Riender Happee Journal: Hum Factors Date: 2019-03-26 Impact factor: 2.888