Drivers' Galvanic Skin Response and the Risk of Accident

Galvanic skin responses of 20 drivers were measured in two studies covering a wide range of roads and road conditions. Accident histories wore obtained for the roads in one of the studies. It is shown that the level of GSR activity does not depend primarily on the nature of the road or conditions. Consistent sources of variation in the GSR are observed, one of them apparently being the subject's experience of driving. The distribution of GSR per unit distance travelled was found to be similar to the distribution of accidents per unit total distance of vehicle travel (the accident rate). The results support a view that driving is a self-paced task governed' by the level of emotional tension or anxiety which the driver wishes to tolerate. The possible effects of this on the distribution of accidents is discussed.