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Pedal misapplications may be rare, but the outcomes can be tragic. A naturalistic driving study with 30 drivers was conducted to gain a better understanding of foot pedal behaviors. Foot movements were observed from the moment subjects entered and positioned themselves in their vehicle, and continued through starting the ignition, shifting into gear, accelerating to driving speed, and finally, resting their foot after parking the vehicle. A coding methodology was developed to categorize the various foot movements and behaviors. Over 3,300 startup and parking sequences were coded. This paper describes the unique challenges involved in classifying foot movements and behaviors when drivers’ intentions are not known. For example, hesitant or interrupted foot movements often occurred when a driver was transitioning from a gas pedal press to a brake pedal press.

This paper presents the results from an analysis of off-roadway crashes involving commercial vehicles (large trucks – medium and heavy trucks) in support of the roadway departure research area, part of the United States (US) Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Vehicle Initiative. This analysis deals with off-roadway crashes in which the first harmful event occurs off the roadway after a vehicle in transport departs the travel road due to loss of control or crossing the edge of the roadway. Approximately 136,000 such crashes were reported in the US over a 3-year period based on the 1996–1998 National Automotive Sampling System/General Estimates System crash databases.