Slamming the brake on rear-end crashes - 2006

24 January 2006

A Queensland University of Technology researcher wants to slam the brakes on rear-end crashes.

Craig Roughan, a Masters student with QUT's Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, is testing whether brake lights that indicate how quickly a vehicle slows can prevent bonnet-to-boot accidents.

With rear-end crashes accounting for about one in five accidents on Queensland roads, Craig said it was essential to look for ways to cut this trend.

Craig said his research sought to identify whether adaptive brake lights in a vehicles' spoiler or rear window could more effectively communicate emergency stopping compared to standard brake lights that are only ever on or off.

"Adaptive brakes provide a visual representation of how quickly a vehicle is decelerating, alerting the driver behind," he said.

"For example the harder you brake, the more of the brake light lights up."

Craig said at them moment almost all vehicles had tail brake lights and either a brake light in the car's spoiler or rear window which went on and off as the brakes were applied.

He said adaptive brakes, on the other hand, could indicate via a band of lights whether a vehicle was decelerating slowing or rapidly.

"If a car decelerates at a rate of 5 metres per second, enough to push a bag from the front seat to the floor, then almost the full band of lights would illuminate," he said.

"This is considered emergency braking."

To test which brake lights are the most effective, Craig has set up a driving simulator to analyse driver responses to three different brake light interfaces in QUT's new Human-Centred Design Research and Usability Laboratory.

Craig said the driving simulator was comparable to driving an arcade race game.

He said participants had a steering wheel and brake pedal and were required to remain behind the vehicle which was projected on to a wall.

"I'm getting people to come in and see whether they can maintain a certain distance from the lead vehicle by braking appropriately," Craig said.

"Once the results are in I will then analyse which brake light interface is the most effective brake light display."

Craig said there was a real concern about the number of rear-end accidents in Australia.

"I think most people have either run into the back of another car, been hit in the back by another car or at least know someone who has been rear-ended," he said.

"The aim of the research is to provide valuable information to automobile designers and researchers that will help them design safer vehicles."

Craig, who is studying his Masters of Applied Science in Industrial Design, expects the results to be available by March this year.

QUT's Human-Centred Design Research and Usability Lab offers state-of-the-art facilities including cameras and microphones and is designed to assist with design related user testing and ergonomic research.

Media contact - Sandra Hutchinson, QUT media officer, 07 3864 2130 or s3.hutchinson@qut.edu.au