How Much Clearance Drivers want While Parking: Data to Guide the Design of Parking Assistance Systems

This experiment examined how close to objects (such as a wall or another vehicle) people would drive when parking. The findings determined the distance at which visual and/or auditory warnings should be provided by parking assistance systems. Sixteen drivers (8 aged 18-30, 8 over age 65) served as subjects. Data was collected for the subject sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2004 Nissan Q45 (a full-size sedan) and when they were outside the vehicle (as if directing someone else to park). Data was collected for moving a simulated brick wall towards and away from the test vehicle for 8 cardinal clock positions. The overall mean distance was 20.4 in for the 640 data points collected, ranging from 2.5 to 48.5 in. Using the regression method, 1 of the 2 developed methods, the desired distance (in) was equal to 9.5 + 1.6 (if the position was to the side or rear) + 6.7 (if a door was to be opened) + 5.7 (if the object was approaching the car) + 4.9 (if the driver’s clearance was estimated) + .07 times the driver’s age.