Essay - Reaction Time and Automobile Risk Avoidance Aptitude Introduction and Definitions....

Reaction Time and Automobile Risk Avoidance Aptitude

***** and Definitions.

Studies of reaction times have been of interest to a wide v*****riety of people for several centuries. Among one of the industries that stands to benefit the most from a more comprehensive underst*****nding ***** reaction ***** is the automobile insurance industry, which charges customers premiums based on the risk that they might get into an accident. There is reason to believe that th***** propensity is directly correlated to reaction time. Whereas in simple reaction time experiments, there is only one stimulus and ***** response, ***** choice ***** time experiments, the user must give a response ***** corresponds ***** the stimulus. This system ***** closely resembles that of driving. Insurers have found that reaction time is determined as the ***** required for a driver to perceive a h*****zard ***** apply the brakes or turn the steering wheel. As a result, re*****ction time tests used to measure driving competency would ***** ***** focus on this particular metric.

Background.

The study of reacti***** time first became popular when 19th-century neurological scientists wished to explore the nature of ***** brain. Reaction time has ***** a key focus in neurological test*****g and has many applications, ranging from sports ***** every day activities. Studies have shown ***** many factors impair reaction *****. For example, a person who is too relaxed or too tense cannot react as quickly ***** one who ***** neither. Age is correlated to reaction time; people peak in their late 20's. Many things such as alcohol impair reaction times significantly.

Measurement Systems

The experiment that I have designed compares the visual and auditory reaction times ***** people who regularly drive automobiles with non-drivers. The ***** will focus on people who ***** experience ***** on a daily basis. The results of such a test would be of interest to ***** different groups of *****. Foremost, automobile insurers have a vested ***** in gaug*****g the ability of a driver to avoid an accident. Although many accidents are not a driver's fault, per se, reaction time has a direct be*****ring on a driver's ability to recognize danger and to take evasive measures. In ***** United States, drivers that get ***** licenses later face steeper insurance premiums. The implication is that a learning-experience curve exists ***** favors those with more experience. However, much ***** the risk aversion that can be found in older or more *****d drivers could have a direct correlation to reaction time. If this is the case, it could be possible to offer discounts to people who voluntarily submitted proof that their ***** to react ***** potentially hazardous situations is superior to that of the average driver.

If it ***** ***** proven that experienced ***** have a better reaction time than inexperienced ones, ***** metric could be considered as a suit*****ble proxy for driving ability. Current insurance d*****counts ***** offered to drivers for a v*****riety of reasons, and some ***** little more than a cursory psychological bearing on driving ability. For instance, a 24-ye*****r-old