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Last Updated: Thursday, 11 June 2015 13:59

Written by Dr. Donald H. Mershon

Summary: While we wait for fully automated cars, we will continue to find that certain driving tasks entail more problems than others. Consider the task of parallel parking. From the street, a space along the curb may appear quite large enough for one's vehicle. Using the rear window, the mirrors and any vehicle cameras, one attempts to move into the space. During this effort, it seems as if there is less room than previously expected. Yet – when the car is finally stopped, and you walk around behind it – there again appears to be plenty of room. Why this occurs can be readily understood, if one is familiar with the biases that affect depth/distance perception in such situations.

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