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Overview
The rider response testing program has been designed to gain insight into the perception and response of motorcycle riders during everyday riding and when confronted by a hazard. To date, very few studies have analyzed the response of motorcyclists, leaving a large gap in our understanding of motorcyclist behavior. With information gained from this testing, we hope to increase knowledge among the motorcycling community to increase safety and improve training programs. Initial testing was conducted in Laughlin, Nevada, in 2009. Additional testing is scheduled for August 2011 in Amherst, Massachusetts. If you would like to be a part of the testing please click on the Participate link above. |
“We had no idea [the Hurt Report] would last so long. We always assumed someone would commission another, bigger study. As it worked out, no one ever came up with a contract. Nobody wants to do any new research projects.” – Harry Hurt (1999) |
This study is not intended to be “bigger” than the renowned Hurt Report. However, this research will attempt to examine some aspects of rider behavior above and beyond those that were part of Hurt's contract. Further, we'll be using technology which was unavailable in the late 70s when Hurt and his team were conducting their investigations.
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Equipment and Instrumentation
Participants will drive a sedan provided for this test, as well as riding their own motorcycle. Each vehicle will be outfitted with a Video-VBOX GPS-based data acquisition package from RaceLogic. This system will record vehicle speed, position, acceleration, and rotation rates, as well as making a time-synchronized video record of the ride. The system is assembled in a small plastic case which will be strapped onto the passenger seat of the motorcycle. These will allow documentation of naturalistic driving behaviors for each rider throughout the ride. Riders will wear eye tracking hardware from Applied Science Laboratories, allowing researchers to analyze rider search patterns. |
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