Evaluation of drivers' sense of danger by means of a model experiment

The problem of accidents and safety has acquired a great significance with the development of industry and transport infrastructure. In Western countries focused on analysis of driving as a road behavior, the road accident rate is considerably lower than in Russia, where driving is regarded as an activity of a human-operator. There are examples of road traffic situations when in the absence of rigid prescriptions for action the driver is forced to rely on subjective preferences, which are determined by his/her personal characteristics. In the West, some contribution to the prevention of accidents is made by programs aimed at developing a sense of danger (which should be included in the structure of the driver's accidental skills). The paper gives a description of an experiment whose goal was to study the level of drivers' sense of danger. In the course of the experiment, the subjects rode a scooter through the gate with varying distances between the gateposts. Other subjects were located inside the gateposts. The examination and analysis of the video material helped to identify a number of criteria by which one can qualify the level of the sense of danger development. This experiment was conducted in the form of a riding test, with extrapolation of its results to the situation of driving. Certain features of performing this exercise were documented in groups with different socio-psychological characteristics. We assessed the relations between the behavior of the particular subjects in everyday life, as well as characteristics of their riding/driving style and the accident rate and the level of the sense of danger development, which was assessed using criteria derived in the course of the experiment, which substantiates the validity of the methodology designed. The criteria for assessing the sense of danger are: minimum distance between the posts, average speed, maximum acceleration, dynamic corridor of the vehicle, the type of deceleration and the time of its application, emotions of the riders and persons standing in the gateposts. The criteria for evaluating the sense of danger for the group older than 18 years are given.