A Human-Centered Multimodal Framework for Characterizing Safety-Relevant Driver Functional Domains: An Exploratory...

Area of Science:

• Human Factors and Ergonomics
• Transportation Safety
• Psychology

Background:

• Traditional driver assessments often use isolated tests.
• A multimodal approach integrating self-perception, psychomotor, and cognitive-perceptual data offers a more holistic characterization.
• Understanding functional domains is crucial for professional driver safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a human-centered multimodal framework for characterizing safety-relevant functional domains in professional bus drivers.
• To explore age- and gender-related differences in these domains.
• To inform future driver monitoring research in intelligent transportation systems.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, between-subjects design was employed with 18 professional bus drivers.
• Data collection included self-perception, psychomotor performance, and cognitive-perceptual assessments.
• Analysis focused on behavioral awareness, motor coordination, attention, visual tracking, and hazard perception.

Main Results:

• Descriptive age- and gender-related differences were observed across domains.
• Male drivers reported higher self-ratings and had greater grip strength; females showed different psychomotor tendencies.
• Older drivers exhibited slower, less efficient cognitive-perceptual performance, particularly in time-constrained traffic scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The multimodal framework provides an exploratory characterization of driver functional capacities.
• Findings highlight potential age- and gender-related influences on driving safety-relevant domains.
• The proposed constructs can guide future research linking driver behaviors to functional meaning in intelligent transportation environments.