This paper presents an overview of research on the behaviour of drivers in simulated accident situations. The research was carried out by the authors of this work as a part of a research N N509 549 040 funded by the National Science Centre including new accident situations. The paper presents a description of the methodology and implementation of research on a track. During the tests, the simulation concerns about an accident risk situation involving pedestrians and passenger cars intruding the road area. In contrast to earlier research carried out by the authors, the scenario included the possibility of a pedestrian ‘entering’ from behind a curtain, both from the left and from the right sides of the road. This was possible thanks to a specially developed test stand. The paper analyses the values of driver’s reaction times characteristic to driver’s impact on: acceleration control pedals, service brake and steering wheel. In addition to the determination of average reaction time values and the regression line for the test group of 30 drivers, the assessment of the frequency of drivers taking individual defensive reactions was carried out. Keywords: traffic safety; collision; road accidents; regression equation; simulation.

The scientific periodical journal published by the Faculty of Management and Economics of Tomas Bata University in Zlin offers results of basic and applied economic research of domestic and international authors in the English language.

This paper provides a description of driver testing in a simulator. As young drivers are more susceptible to collisions, this was done to determine how young drivers behaved in simulated road situations on a motorway. One of the traffic safety concerns is the failure to keep a proper distance from the vehicle in front, which may result in a rearend collision. The tests simulated car-following situations in which the preceding vehicle performed emergency braking. The experiments were conducted for two scenario variants using different distances from the vehicle in front. The drivers could perform the following emergency manoeuvres: braking with steering away or only braking. The driver response times were compared and analysed statistically. The results were used to determine the emergency manoeuvres performed by the drivers in the simulated road situations. The study reveals that the vehicle surroundings may have a considerable influence on the type of emergency manoeuvres and the driver response time.

The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the production of exhaust emissions from a vehicle with a petrol engine with the Euro 4 emission standard and powered by petrol and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). The paper presents new possibilities for monitoring exhaust emissions using an exhaust gas analyzer. At the same time, it points out the topicality and significance of the issue in the monitored area. It examines the impact of a change in fuel on emissions. This change is monitored in various areas of vehicle operation. Measurements were performed during real operation, which means that the results are fully usable and applicable in practice. The driving simulation as well as the test conditions correspond to the RDE (Real Driving Emissions) test standard. A commercially available car was first selected to perform the tests, which was first measured in the original configuration (petrol drive). Based on real-time RDE driving tests, it is possible to determine the number of exhaust emissions. Subsequently, the same measurements were performed with the same vehicle, but the vehicle’s propulsion was changed to LPG. The vehicle was equipped with an additional system that allowed the vehicle to be powered by LPG. The results from the individual driving tests allowed the determination of the exhaust emissions. Emissions of CO (carbon monoxide), CO₂ (carbon dioxide), HC (hydrocarbons), and NO_x (nitrogen oxides) were monitored as a matter of priority. Through the driving tests, it was found that the gasoline combustion produced higher CO (1.926 g/km) and CO₂ (217.693 g/km) emissions compared to the combustion of liquefied gas, where the concentration of the CO emissions was 1.892 g/km and that of the CO₂ emissions was 213.966 g/km. In contrast, the HC (0.00397 g/km) and NO_x (0.03107 g/km) emissions were lower when petrol was burned. During LPG combustion, the HC emissions reached 0.00430 g/km, and the NO_x emissions reached 0.05134 g/km. At the end of the research, the authors compared the emissions determined by real driving (in g/km) with the emission values produced by the emission standard EURO 4 and the certificate of conformity (COC). Practical measurements showed that the vehicle produced excessive amounts of CO when burning gasoline. This production is 0.926 g/km higher and 0.892 g/km higher when burning LPG compared to the limit set by the Euro 4 Emission Standard. The difference is even greater than the limit value stated in the COC document. For other substances, the monitored values are in the norm and are even far below the permitted value

Road safety in the EU has improved significantly over the past decades, thanks to effective action taken at EU and national level to address road user behaviour, vehicles and infrastructure. As a result the EU roads are the safest world-wide. This increased safety can, to a large extent, be attributed to legislative requirements on safety of vehicles that have been introduced to road safety. The EU has, in the past, introduced mandatory fitting of electronic stability control systems on all vehicles and advanced emergency braking systems and lane departure warning systems on trucks and buses, which contribute to the reduction of fatal casualties in traffic by an estimated 5,000 a year. The full potential of these and further active safety technologies can only become reality with large-scale deployment in vehicles on EU roads. The aim of this paper provides a comprehensive overview and proposes a way forward as regards improved vehicle safety for the benefit of all road users, that is to say, all citizens of the European Union.

The paper presents results of research concerning the basis of utilization of PMSMs in industrial robots. A mathematical model of PMSM is described. Identification of PMSM's parameters is performed as well as an analysis of simulation and experimental investigation results of transients and steady states of electrical and mechanical quantities is presented.