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HIGHWAY safety-an important problem in the truck and bus industries - is governed by many factors, one of the most important being the human element. This paper describes the Harvard School of Public Health research program concerning the human factor in vehicle design and operation. The project is Sponsored by the Commission on Accidental Trauma of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, Department of Defense; the National Association of Automotive Mutual Insurance Companies; the American Trucking Associations, Inc.; and the National Association of Motor Bus Operators. Some items of this investigation include the study of near accidents; detection of the accident repeater; personal adjustment and morale of drivers; human body size and capabilities with relation to controls, instruments, seats, and vision; the effects of temperature, ventilation, noise, and vibration; and desirable safety features to protect the operator if an accident occurs.

The number of fatalities and injuries from all types of motor vehicle accidents have been increasing throughout the world. This paper analyzes these statistics in an effort to find the causes of this high accident rate and to suggest possible solutions. Among the findings are: the number of people injured is increasing more rapidly than fatalities; the greatest percentage of fatalities occurs in the teenage and young adult age bracket with males predominating; alcohol is a dominating cause of many accidents; the personal and emotional maladjustment of the driver is a contributing factor; those related to old age, disease, and illness of drivers need to be more carefully studied and criteria for disqualification established. Possible solutions include: improved driver training; improved highway design, especially with regard to lighting; improved vehicular design. The author feels the latter is most important as it seems unlikely that driving habits can be radically improved.

The use of ergonomics in the design of vehicular equipment is presented. It is proposed that the wider use of the principles and methods of this discipline might aid in the more effective integration of the driver and his equipment. It has been shown that the effectiveness of any man-machine system depends upon the integration of the biological characteristics of the operator with the mechanical design of the equipment and working areas. The initial phase of a program in ergonomics should always consist of an advance analysis of the equipment, including a survey of the nature of the task, the work surroundings, the location of controls and instruments, and the way the operator performs his duties. In highway safety the application of human engineering principles has been shown to be of great importance in the design of windshields, rear view mirrors, and vehicle lighting, and other visual aids to the drivers.

Differences in human body size can sometimes have serious implications for the efficiency and safety, as well as the comfort, of vehicle drivers. The fundamental aim of this report has been to outline methods whereby data on human body size may be systematically incorporated into vehicular design. It is believed that previous considerations of this problem have been hampered by a lack of information on the specific size range of drivers to be accommodated. The engineer cannot design adequately on the basis of an “average” man taken from the general population. Nor can he design properly if he does not know precisely how “big” or how “small” his drivers will be. In addition he must know not only the human body dimensions, but also how these measurements vary in dynamic situations.