THE ACTUAL USE OF THE DYNAMIC PERFORMANCES OF VEHICLES
LECHNER ; PERRIN
Type de document
ARTICLE A COMITE DE LECTURE NON REPERTORIE DANS BDI (ACLN)
Langue
anglais
Auteur
LECHNER ; PERRIN
Résumé / Abstract
INRETS (ACCIDENT MECHANISM DEPARTMENT) HAS CARRIED OUT RESEARCH WORK TO DETERMINE TO WHAT EXTENT DRIVERS MAKE USE THE DYNAMIC PEFORMANCES OF VEHICLES IN THE COURSE OF EVERYDAY DRIVING. THE METHODOLOGY USED FOR THIS PURPOSE CONSISTS IN ASKING A SAMPLE OF DRIVERS FROM VARIED BACKGROUNDS, TO DRIVE OVER A SET DISTANCE, AT THE WHEEL OF A SPECIALLY INSTRUMENTED VEHICLE. THE ROUTE CHOSEN INCLUDED ALL TYPES OF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURES : MOTORWAYS, MAIN AND MINOR ROADS, WINDING ROADS, PASSING THROUGH BUILT-UP AREAS AND RURAL TOWNS. THE VEHICLE IS FITTED IS FITTED WITH A DATA COLLECTION MODULE AND A SET OF SENSORS, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO RECORD DRIVER'S CONTROLS AND THE RESULTING DYNAMIC PERFORMANCES OF THE CAR. THE ANALYSIS OF THESE RECORDINGS SHOWS THT, IN EVERYDAY DRIVING, LONGITUDINAL AND LATERAL ACCELERATIONS ARE LOW, AND THAT THE LEVELS OF PERFORMANCES ACCEPTABLE TO DRIVERS FALL CONSIDERABLY WHEN SPEED INCREASES. SIGNIFICANT INTER-INDIVIDUAL VARIATIONS IN THE BEHAVIOUR OF DRIVERS WHEN AT THE WHEEL OF THE SAME VEHICLE, OVER THE SAME STRETCH OF ROAD, WERE ALSO REVEALED. THE LOW LEVEL OF DYNAMIC DEMANDS ENCOUNTERED IN EVERYDAY DRIVING IS LOCATED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN THE LINEAR PART OF THE OVERALL OPERATING AREA OF THE VEHICLE; I.E. FAR REMOVED FROM THE MAXIMUM DYNAMIC PERFORMANCES OF THE CAR WHICH DRIVERS HAVE TO USE WHEN FACED WITH AN EMERGENCY SIYUATION.
