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The following abstract is that provided to first year undergraduate students as part of the recruitment effort for 1st Year Seminar Courses at the University of Guelph. When humankind begins the colonization of the moon or Mars, we will be bringing along more of Earth than one might think. A number of space and government agencies around the world, including researchers at the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, University of Guelph, are involved in the design and engineering of self-contained ecosystems based on Earthly biological processes. These processes can be harnessed, with complementary physical and chemical technologies to support human life (food production, air revitalization, psychology) in the hostile conditions of space.

Moose collisions injure and kill a multitude of animals and humans each year. While in-vehicle warning systems are under development, the evaluation of these systems is a challenging process. In comparison with traditional on-road instrumented vehicles, driving simulators offer safer testing environments, but pose validity concerns. To understand the validity issues, this study replicates and expands upon Robins's [1] on-road findings in “Moose Visibility Distance in Nighttime Highway Driving Conditions: A Preliminary Investigation”. The significant effect of moose location on perception time is supported while our data suggests that typical speed limits are even more problematic than Robins demonstrated. The results are discussed with a focus on understanding the validity of simulated driving and establishing future validation research directions.

Electronic navigational systems allow drivers to receive travel directions while driving, rather than preplanning a route. This additional attentional load on drivers might prove to be hazardous -- particularly for older adults who have greater difficulties multitasking and switching their attention between different parts of the visual field. A driving simulator was used to evaluate the perception time to critical events in the presence and absence of a navigation system with young (n=18, age=18.8years SD= 0.7years) and older drivers (n=15, age=73.1years, SD=6.1years). The results of this study indicated that though older drivers were slower to react to critical events, and both groups were faster to react to pedestrian incursions than sudden light changes, messages from the travel system did not interfere significantly with perception reaction time in either group.

Collisions involving turn-across-path hazards are responsible for a disproportionate number of injuries and fatalities compared to collisions with other orientations. Previous investigations of turn-across-path hazards have found conflicting results regarding hazard detection and response behaviour of drivers, particularly for hazards with different onset conditions. Typically, hazards with abrupt onsets should attract attention more readily, however, the opposite trend for response times has been observed when the abrupt onset is a rapid change in speed, rather than a sudden appearance. This study compared two left-turn-across path hazards with different onsets. The abrupt onset hazard was an initially stopped vehicle that quickly accelerated into the participant drivers’ path, while the gradual onset hazard was already in motion as the participant driver approached.

Vehicle-pedestrian collisions account for 15% of fatal crashes in the USA, and there has been a twelve percent increase in fatal crashes in the USA from 2006 to 2015. Although research exists on the response time of drivers responding to pedestrian path intrusions, data on the response time of through drivers to jaywalking pedestrians crossing from the far side of the road has not been determined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to quantify Driver Response Time (DRT) to a pedestrian that intrudes perpendicularly into the path of a vehicle from the far curb (adjacent to oncoming traffic). 50 (NFemale = 25; NMale = 25) licensed volunteer drivers took part in a study at the University of Guelph Driving Research in Virtual Environments (DRiVE) lab using an Oktal complete vehicle driving simulator.

Previously researched path intrusion scenarios include left-turning hazard vehicles which intrude laterally across the path of the through driver. A right turning vehicle, however, creates a scenario where a hazard which was initially travelling perpendicular to the driver can intrude into the through driver’s path without also occupying the adjacent through lanes. This hazard scenario has not been previously investigated. The purpose of this research was to determine driver response time (DRT) and response choice to a right turning vehicle that merges abruptly into the lane of the oncoming through driver. Using an Oktal full car driving simulator, 107 licenced drivers (NFemale = 57, NMale = 50) completed a five-minute practice drive followed by a ten-minute experimental drive containing two conditions of the right turn hazard, presented in a counterbalanced order.

Straight intersecting path or “side” collisions account for 12% of all motor vehicle crashes and 24% of fatalities. While previous research has examined driver responses to hazards striking from the right (near side), no research has quantified driver responses to hazards striking from the left (far side) of an intersection. The purpose of this study was to measure driver response time (DRT) and response choice for two versions of this scenario. In one condition, the hazard vehicle was initially stopped at the intersection before accelerating into the path of the participant driver. In the other condition, the hazard vehicle approached and entered the intersection while moving at a constant speed of 50 km/h.

Motor vehicle crashes with cyclists are on the rise, with a six percent increase in fatal crashes from 2006 to 2015 in the USA. Although some research exists on the response time of drivers to some types of path intrusions, data on the perception-response of through drivers to cyclists who fail to stop at a stop sign, and ride into the path of the vehicle has not been researched. The purpose of this study was to quantify the Driver Response Time (DRT) to a cyclist that intrudes perpendicularly in front of a through vehicle at an intersection where the driver has the right-of-way.

Left-turn crashes account for almost one quarter of all collisions. Although research has quantified the response time of drivers to left-turning vehicles with high acceleration profiles, research is lacking for driver responses to realistic left-turning vehicle acceleration. The purpose of this research was to determine the Driver Response Time (DRT) to a left-turning vehicle from the first lateral movement of the left-turning vehicle. The DRT was measured from first lateral movement of the left turning vehicle, until the through driver reacts, whether by touching the brake pedal, swerving, releasing/applying the accelerator, or a combination of these inputs. Ninety-eight (NFemale = 48; NMale = 50) licensed volunteer drivers took part in a study at the University of Guelph Driving Research in Virtual Environments (DRiVE) lab using an Oktal complete vehicle driving simulator.

Collisions resulting in injuries or fatalities occur more frequently at intersections. This is partly because safe navigation of intersections requires drivers to accurately observe and respond to other road users with conflicting paths. Previous studies have raised questions about how traffic control devices and the positioning of other road users might affect drivers' visual search strategies when navigating intersections. To address these questions, four left-turn-across-path (LTAP) scenarios were created by combining two types of traffic control devices (stop signs and traffic lights) with two hazard starting locations (central and peripheral). Seventy-four licensed drivers responded to all scenarios in a counterbalanced order using a full vehicle driving simulator. Eye-tracking glasses were used to monitor eye movements, both before and after hazard onset.