Fred Feng, PhD, University of Michigan

"Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You: An Examination of Drivers Overtaking Bicyclists Using Large-Scale Naturalistic Driving Data"

Abstract: Bicycling has long been an important mode of transportation. However, the safety issues of riding a bicycle on roadways with mixed traffic have been a major concern. This work investigates how drivers overtake bicyclists using real-world objective data from a recent large-scale naturalistic driving study. Over 4,800 verified overtaking events were examined. The initial results show how the drivers' lateral maneuver of the vehicle during the overtaking was affected by a range of factors including the types of lane markings, traffic, bike lane, and whether the driver was distracted by an electronic device. This work provides objective data that could be potentially used to support the designs of better road infrastructures, safety technologies, and laws and regulations that aim to improve the safety of all road users.

Bio: Fred Feng is a research fellow at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). Dr. Feng joined the UMTRI Human Factors group after completing his Ph.D. in the IOE department at the University of Michigan under the supervision of Dr. Yili Liu. Dr. Feng's research interests include human-machine interactions and human performance modeling with the applications on driver behaviors and the safety of vulnerable road users.