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.

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.

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.

We covered a wide variety of human factors topics, including:

• The science of evaluating a driver’s response
• Pedestrian detection and safety
• Fatality trends and insights
• The SHRP2 data gold mine (Strategic Highway Research Program)
• Naturalistic braking data
• Documenting nighttime scenes
• And more...

Two clarifications from the show:

• Biomotion is referred to as “biometric” on a few occasions.
• 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.

You can watch the podcast and find links from the show here.

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Connect with Swaroop

Driver Research Institute

Response / IDRR

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Timeline of Topics

00:00:00 - Team Growth and Research Methodology Challenges

00:04:01 - Unbiased Human Factors Analysis and Study Compilation

00:13:22 - Perception-Response Time Variables, Adjustments, and IDRR Development

00:20:38 - Journey into Human Factors Engineering

00:23:33 - Rising Fatality Trends and Emergency Vehicle Distractions

00:31:57 - Haptic Feedback, ADAS Warnings, and System Limitations

00:37:02 - Roles at Driver Research Institute and Response Software Overview

00:48:23 - Detailed Fatality Trends and ADAS Effectiveness

00:50:26 - Pedestrian Safety: Nighttime Visibility and Contributing Factors

00:58:20 - Overestimation of Visibility and Retroreflective Clothing Studies

01:10:53 - Tennis Ball Visibility Study and Bicyclist/Pedestrian Enhancements

01:28:13 - Pedestrian Walking Speeds, Adjustments, and Response Integration

01:33:43 - Case Handling: Site Inspections, Tools, and Analysis Process

01:45:01 - SHRP2 Naturalistic Data Introduction and Braking Insights

02:19:26 - Key Takeaways from SHRP2 Research on Crash Types and Responses

02:35:57 - ADAS Challenges: Distractions, Takeover, and Human-Machine Interaction

02:46:06 - Looming Effects, Lead Vehicle Detection, and Specific Influences

03:05:52 - Expert Testimony Advice and Demonstratives

03:09:29 - Turning Crash Analysis into Broader Safety Improvements