Practice Test Geeks(ACTAR) Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstructionist Practice Test
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Human Factors Flashcards

7 cards from real ACTAR practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Human Factors flashcards as text

  1. What is 'change blindness' and why is it relevant in traffic accident reconstruction?

    Answer: The failure to detect visual changes when there is a brief interruption in the visual scene

    Change blindness—failure to notice changes during a visual interruption—explains why drivers may not perceive sudden changes in a scene even while actively looking.

  2. How does sleep deprivation of 17–19 hours compare to alcohol impairment in terms of cognitive performance?

    Answer: It is equivalent to a BAC of approximately 0.10%

    Research by Williamson & Feyer (2000) found 17–19 hours of wakefulness produces performance impairment equivalent to approximately BAC 0.05%–0.10%.

  3. In reconstruction of a pedestrian-vehicle crash, what is meant by the 'available sight distance' for the driver?

    Answer: The distance from which the driver could first have seen the pedestrian given sight obstructions and lighting

    Available sight distance is the actual detection range accounting for environmental obstructions, lighting, and the pedestrian's visual characteristics at the specific scene.

  4. Which of the following describes the 'expectancy violation' effect in the context of wrong-way driver crashes?

    Answer: Drivers expect roads to be two-way and do not anticipate oncoming traffic on a one-way road

    Drivers on limited-access highways have a strong expectancy of one-directional traffic; encountering a wrong-way vehicle violates this expectancy, delaying recognition and response.

  5. What role does 'selective attention' play in multi-task driving scenarios during accident reconstruction analysis?

    Answer: It causes some stimuli to go unprocessed when attentional resources are committed elsewhere

    Selective attention means the brain prioritizes certain inputs; when resources are committed to one task, competing stimuli may not be processed, potentially causing a missed hazard.

  6. What is the significance of 'ecological optics' and the 'looming response' in traffic crash human factors?

    Answer: Looming describes a visual expansion of an approaching object that triggers braking responses

    The looming response is triggered by rapid visual expansion (optical flow) of an approaching object, often initiating emergency braking in drivers before conscious threat assessment occurs.

  7. When reconstructing a crash involving driver distraction, which analytical method best quantifies the distraction's effect on pre-crash response?

    Answer: Using time-line analysis to compare expected response timing to actual response initiation

    Time-line analysis compares when a response should have occurred (based on normal PRT and detection distance) to when it actually occurred, quantifying the delay attributable to distraction.