Swaroop Dinakar: Exploring Human Factors, ADAS, Fatality Trends, and SHRP2 Data
<p>Swaroop is a Managing Scientist at the famous Driver Research Institute, where he wears many hats including research, education, software development, and analysis of motor vehicle collisions.</p><p></p><p>He holds a bachelor’s in industrial engineering from Die Anon Saggar College of Engineering in India and a Master’s degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University, where he focused on human factors.</p><p></p><p>Swaroop has published over 20 papers in the field of human factors and is a member of several driver safety related committees and technical groups.</p><p></p><p><strong>We covered a wide variety of human factors topics, including:</strong></p><ul><li>The science of evaluating a driver’s response</li><li>Pedestrian detection and safety</li><li>Fatality trends and insights</li><li>The SHRP2 data gold mine (Strategic Highway Research Program)</li><li>Naturalistic braking data</li><li>Documenting nighttime scenes</li><li>And more...</li></ul><p></p><p>Two clarifications from the show:</p><ul><li>Biomotion is referred to as “biometric” on a few occasions.</li><li>Fatal pedestrian crashes with intoxicated crash stats: Drivers >0.08 is ~18% and Peds >0.08 is ~30%. Overall ~43% where either one was >0.08.</li></ul><p></p><p>You can watch the podcast and find links from the show <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://lightpointdata.com/data-driven-dinakar">here</a>.</p><p></p><p>--</p><p></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/swaroopdinakar/">Connect with Swaroop</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://driverresearchinstitute.com/">Driver Research Institute</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://driverresearchinstitute.com/subscription/">Response / IDRR</a></p><p></p><p>--</p><p></p><p><strong>Timeline of Topics</strong></p><p></p><p>00:00:00 - Team Growth and Research Methodology Challenges</p><p>00:04:01 - Unbiased Human Factors Analysis and Study Compilation</p><p>00:13:22 - Perception-Response Time Variables, Adjustments, and IDRR Development</p><p>00:20:38 - Journey into Human Factors Engineering</p><p>00:23:33 - Rising Fatality Trends and Emergency Vehicle Distractions</p><p>00:31:57 - Haptic Feedback, ADAS Warnings, and System Limitations</p><p>00:37:02 - Roles at Driver Research Institute and Response Software Overview</p><p>00:48:23 - Detailed Fatality Trends and ADAS Effectiveness</p><p>00:50:26 - Pedestrian Safety: Nighttime Visibility and Contributing Factors</p><p>00:58:20 - Overestimation of Visibility and Retroreflective Clothing Studies</p><p>01:10:53 - Tennis Ball Visibility Study and Bicyclist/Pedestrian Enhancements</p><p>01:28:13 - Pedestrian Walking Speeds, Adjustments, and Response Integration</p><p>01:33:43 - Case Handling: Site Inspections, Tools, and Analysis Process</p><p>01:45:01 - SHRP2 Naturalistic Data Introduction and Braking Insights</p><p>02:19:26 - Key Takeaways from SHRP2 Research on Crash Types and Responses</p><p>02:35:57 - ADAS Challenges: Distractions, Takeover, and Human-Machine Interaction</p><p>02:46:06 - Looming Effects, Lead Vehicle Detection, and Specific Influences</p><p>03:05:52 - Expert Testimony Advice and Demonstratives</p><p>03:09:29 - Turning Crash Analysis into Broader Safety Improvements</p>
