title: Effect of additional warning sounds on pedestrians' detection of electric vehicles: An ecological approach.
abstract: Virtually silent electric vehicles (EVs) may pose a risk for pedestrians. This paper describes two studies that were conducted to assess the influence of different types of external sounds on EV detectability. In the first study, blindfolded participants had to detect an approaching EV with either no warning sounds at all or one of three types of sound we tested. In the second study, designed to replicate the results of the first one in an ecological setting, the EV was driven along a road and the experimenters counted the number of people who turned their heads in its direction. Results of the first study showed that adding external sounds improve EV detection, and modulating the frequency and increasing the pitch of these sounds makes them more effective. This improvement was confirmed in the ecological context. Consequently, pitch variation and frequency modulation should both be taken into account in future AVAS design.
authors.affiliation: CRPCC, University of Rennes 2, Place du Recteur Henri Le Moal; CS 24 307; 35043, Rennes, France. Electronic address: sylvain.fleury@uhb.fr.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fleury
authors.affiliation: CRPCC, University of Rennes 2, Place du Recteur Henri Le Moal; CS 24 307; 35043, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Éric
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Jamet
authors.affiliation: PSA Peugeot-Citroën, Route de Gisy, 78943 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Roussarie
authors.affiliation: PSA Peugeot-Citroën, Route de Gisy, 78943 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bosc
authors.affiliation: PSA Peugeot-Citroën, Route de Gisy, 78943 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chamard
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D001336:Automobiles; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009624:Noise, Transportation; D000069636:Pedestrians; D012306:Risk; D012449:Safety; D013016:Sound
keywords: Detectability; Electric vehicle; External sound; Sound system