New Insights into Driving Using Recurrence Quantification Analysis

Abstract

Traditional measures of central tendency and dispersion, such as the mean and standard deviation, ignore ordering effects in time-series data. Hidden within the ordered regularity of time series' may lie unique human performance characteristics. Recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), a contemporary tool designed for the investigation of nonlinear-time-series data, is used to explore lateral driving movement in a simulated car-following task. This investigation assesses a previously published data set that contrasts baseline driving performance, with performance while legally intoxicated, and hands-free/hand-held cell phone conversation. A number of distinguishing lateral movement characteristics were found using RQA. Free from the constraints imposed by discrete driving measures, RQA has the potential to provide real-time measures of driver workload under a variety of conditions.

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