Quantitative Method for Estimating Driver Eye Height

The issue of what drivers can or cannot see while operating their vehicle is critical for avoiding roadway hazards. One factor is eye-height, which although varies between individuals, is often not available to measure directly. We present a method of calculating driver eye-height using an anthropometry dataset as well as vehicle specifications obtained from online resources. In this study, participants sat in various passenger vehicles and had their seated eye-height measured, which was then compared to their calculated eye-height. Results suggest that our methodology is accurate for larger passenger vehicles, though it slightly underestimates driver eye-height for smaller passenger vehicles. Implications for these results, as well as directions for future studies are discussed in the paper.