Collision avoidance behavior of drivers when vehicle suddenly appears from side

This paper analyzes the driver's collision avoidance behavior in an emergency. Experiments, in which participants drove a test vehicle at around 40 km/h and a dummy vehicle suddenly appeared from the side, were conducted on a proving ground. Two out of 56 participants did not respond to the emergency situation by applying their brakes. Most participants steered the vehicle to some extent, though it was their braking operation that was essential to avoid collisions. Driver behaviors in the emergency revealed, for example, that the average brake response time was 0.45 seconds and the average deceleration after braking was 7.0 m/s². These values should be considered when designing the driver support systems for emergencies.