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Today’s motor vehicles are approaching the complexity of aircraft and spacecraft, but have a slightly different set of variables for the human operator; the driver. Gravitational forces rarely vary significantly for the vehicle driver; the ability to alter the trajectory usually exists; and refueling opportunities are seldom mission-limiting. Yet the driver is performing in an abnormal, dynamic environment with uncontrolled events and potential life-threatening outcomes just like the aviator or astronaut. Defining and managing ‘acceptable risk’ in the high performance environments of space and aviation continues to challenge today’s engineers and human factors researchers. In the automotive industry, engineers have traditionally approached this challenge by insuring the vehicle design is robust enough to accommodate the full range of potential operators.