Portuguese drivers feel more comfortable driving their vehicles on the motorway than in urban environments, where they perform worse in environmental terms, according to a study by the University of Aveiro (UA).

In an attempt to study driving patterns, a team of UA researchers carried out an investigation that assesses driver behaviour through the definition of case studies using a driving simulator, where several participants performed driving tests in different scenarios.

“Volunteers were asked to wear a smartwatch to record heart rate data for stress analysis while driving. In total, the investigation had a total of more than 42,000 seconds of data obtained”, describes a note from the UA.

Aggressive behaviour

According to the course director of the Masters in Intelligent Mobility and research coordinator, Margarida Coelho, the study made it possible to analyse the correlation of driver behaviour (namely, aggressiveness while driving) with the impacts from the point of view of safety and emissions.

Different driving environments (urban, national road and motorway) were also compared, with particular attention to road singularities (speed bumps, traffic lights, zebra crossings etc).

“Research results indicate that drivers feel more comfortable driving their vehicle on highways than in urban environments, where they perform worse in environmental terms. In addition, participants showed similar reactions to the same situations, even with different driving styles”, says the team of researchers.

The results of the study also indicate that stop signs, speed bumps and unpredictable situations such as animals or pedestrians crossing the road are normally associated with sudden acceleration and braking and are conditions that are associated with high pollutant emissions.

Despite the efforts of the automotive industry to reduce environmental impact, Margarida Coelho considers that drivers have a “very important” role (through their behaviour on the road) in reducing gas emissions and promoting greater road safety.

“Anticipating decisions, complying with speed limits, driving smoothly at as constant a speed as possible, avoiding sudden accelerations/decelerations and braking, are some of the ways to develop eco-driving”, defends the researcher.

According to data from the National Authority for Road Safety, between January and December 2021, there were 30,691 accidents with victims in Portugal, resulting in 401 fatalities, 2,297 serious injuries and 35,877 minor injuries.