Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 5, 2025
Virtual Reality Experiments with Physiological Measures
Published on: August 29, 2018
Detecting driver stress and hazard anticipation using real-time cardiac measurement: A simulator study
Laora Kerautret1, Stephanie Dabic2, Jordan Navarro1,3
1Laboratoire d'Etude des Mecanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), University Lyon 2, Bron, France.
Objectives:
In the context of growing interest in real-time driver stress detection systems, we question the value of using heart rate change over short time periods to detect driver stress and hazard anticipation.
Methods:
To this end, we explored changes in heart rate and speed as well as perceived stress in 27 drivers in a driving simulator. Driver stress was triggered by using hazardous road events, while hazard anticipation was manipulated using three levels of hazard predictability: unpredictable (U), predictable (P), and predictable and familiar (PF).
Results:
The main results indicate that using heart rate change (1) is a good indicator for detecting driver stress in real time, (2) provides a cardiac signature of hazard anticipation, and (3) was affected by perceived stress groups. Further investigation is needed to validate the lack of relationship between increased anticipation/predictability and strengthened cardiac signature.
Conclusions:
These results support the use of heart rate change as an indicator of real-time driver stress and hazard anticipation.
