A: A good starting point comes from a 1974 study
- "An Experimental Study of Automobile Driver Characteristics and Capabilities",
Calspan Report No. ZQ-5208-K-1.
- Under familiar route conditions, the average driver utilizes maximum lateral accelerations of about. 3g in the speed range of 25 - 40 mph.
- Under near-optimum operating conditions.
- route familiarity.
- no other moving vehicles in the area,
- no solid roadside obstacles.
- Assuming normal distributions, less than 20% of all drivers will exceed the above values by as much as.1g.
- The average driver is willing to utilize full tractive acceleration capabilities of a vehicle and full braking capabilities of his vehicle in straight line paths.
- A substantial percentage of drivers cannot satisfactorily control their vehicle under relatively mild skid - inducing situations.
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