Search

With the increasing number of vehicles equipped with conditional driving automation entering the market, it has become important to address the topic of improving driver takeover performance. This study focuses on designing the request to intervene (RtI) under conditional driving automation. We investigated takeover guidance and surrounding traffic information in the RtI influent takeover performance by conducting a driving simulator experiment. 32 participants were divided into four different groups based on the RtI design. The results show that adding surrounding traffic information to the RtI improves the safety of takeover performance. However, the combination of surrounding traffic information and takeover guidance impairs the takeover performance quality. Although all types of additional content (takeover guidance, surrounding traffic information, combination of takeover guidance, and surrounding traffic information) did not increase the participants’ workload during takeover, the participants gave a higher rating to the usability of the surrounding traffic information than the combination. This study demonstrates the importance of providing surrounding traffic information in RtI and the effectiveness of the system usability scale (SUS) in evaluating RtI designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of how the particular categories of children and youth are used within the instructional work of learning to drive. Using Membership Categorisation Analysis (MCA) and multimodal Conversation Analysis (CA) of a collection of cases drawn from 85 video-recorded driving lessons, we demonstrate how the participants treat children and youth as a category of traffic users whose main category predicate appears to be their expected unpredictability and carelessness, placing particularly high demands on drivers' awareness and caution. This is evident in in-event and post-event interactions about traffic encounters with children and youth, as well as in traffic contexts where they have not (yet) been spotted but their sudden appearance is anticipated. The results suggest that the institutional constructions of children and youth as a potential source of trouble prepare trainee drivers for unforeseen events and contingencies and shape their social stock of knowledge as future motorists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of the online food-delivery industry, has led to not only increases in the number of the crowd-sourced shared food-delivery service drivers on our roads, but also growing urban traffic safety management concerns. This study investigates the decision-making behaviors that exist between delivery drivers, their food-delivery platform and their potential impact on traffic safety. Using the evolutionary game theory, stakeholder decision-making behaviors involving traffic safety within the food-delivery industry were analyzed. From our analysis, several behavioral influencers were identified, including penalties for traffic violations, the opportunity cost of delivery drivers complying with traffic rules, the costs associated with risk and strict management approaches, reputation incentives, costs related to the delivery platform being punished, the probability of compliance with traffic rules, and the probability of adopting a strict management approach by the delivery platform. Our study demonstrates that stabilization strategies used by the food service industry differ when the types of government control measures also differ. When the government takes a more aggressive approach to regulation and control, compliance with the traffic rules and the adoption of strict enforcement measures by management are the only evolutionary stability strategies available to food-delivery platforms. As part of a strict management strategy, appropriate compensation or incentive measures should be provided by the distribution platform. Furthermore, the fines given for traffic violations should be increased to create a safer road environment that has fewer traffic accidents involving food-delivery drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drivers' yielding distance to pedestrians at midblock crosswalks affects pedestrians' perceived safety. This distance can be influenced by either crosswalk-related or noncrosswalk. In most cases, crosswalk-related features are readily available or easy to collect compared to non-crosswalk features. However, the extent to which crosswalk-related features affect the spatial yielding compliance is not clear. This study evaluated the role of combined crosswalk-related features on drivers' spatial yielding compliance at signalized midblock crosswalks. The study used observational survey data collected from fifteen flash-based signalized midblock crosswalks located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three logistic regression models, with crosswalk-related features only, non-crosswalk features only, and combined features, were developed and compared. It was revealed that the performance difference between the model with crosswalk-related features only and combined features was insignificant. This study found that the presence of state's law signs, "PED XING" signs, and placement of rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) on the advanced pedestrians crossing signs (APCSs), are significant factors for high spatial yielding compliance. On the contrary, the yield line's presence at a distance greater than 40 ft from the crosswalk, presence of one stage crossing, and high Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) negatively affects the spatial yielding compliance. Moreover, the findings suggest that researchers should be careful about excluding the non-crosswalk features from the analysis. To improve spatial yielding compliance, several recommendations that the city planners and engineers can adopt are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary. Every year, many road accidents occur on Polish roads, in which many people lose their lives and health. Therefore, an attempt was made to analyze road accidents in the Piła poviat. The source of the analysis were the authors' observations and statistical data. This study was conducted on a sample of 250 inhabitants. Hence, a questionnaire was used. Most people, more than half, about 56%, travel by car because it is a more convenient and faster means of transport. While 35% of respondents stated that they feel relatively safe on the roads. A majority, 65%, of the respondents did not participate in a road accident. Further, 60% of the respondents replied that there were many accidents in the Piła poviat, and only 11% answered that there were not many accidents. According to the respondents, the biggest cause of the accidents is alcohol, inattention of drivers and haste. Despite the information, advertisements, scale of these accidents, and opinions of family and friends, people still drive under the influence of alcohol. Year by year, the number of accidents on the roads of the Piła poviat is low, but still considerably high. There is no best way to stop this from happening. In Piła itself, circular intersections have been introduced to improve safety, such an operation is one of the methods for smoother traffic. Additionally, in residential areas, there are more speed bumps to reduce the speed of vehicles. The conclusions obtained in this article can be successfully implemented, not only in other cities in Poland but also in Europe as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a network-wide anticipatory control (AC) framework, incorporating drivers' route choice behaviour, is proposed. The proposed AC, consisting of two main levels of control and route choice, explicitly accounts for road users' responses to the implemented control. Perimeter control, modelled in an MPC framework for real-time applications, optimizes inter-regional transferring flow at the network level. User equilibrium is established through a logit route choice model and solved using the method of successive averages (MSA). The modelling approach adopted is based on macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD), which provides a unimodal low-scatter relationship between density and outflow of any region within a network. Numerical results indicate that the proposed AC outperforms no control and basic control cases and shows promising results in alleviating congestion and deriving the network to near-system optimum traffic condition, under various demand patterns and levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Traffic & Transportation Research / Trafik ve Ulaşım Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Journal of Traffic & Transportation Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) is a universally adopted tool for assessing aberrant driver behaviour. Irrespective of the popularity of the self-report method, the applicability of the DBQ in developing countries like India remained unexamined. The present study aims to analyse the aberrant driver behaviour towards road safety measures using DBQ and investigate demographic variables relationship on aberrant driver behaviour and traffic offences. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported the original factor structure. Overall, the results showed that the cross-cultural form of the DBQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing driving behaviour in India. Results provide valuable information about the impact of demographics on driving behaviour, which will help take preventive measures in road design and traffic management in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today’s road traffic system is functional due to acomplex set of rules. The key element of the system is anatural person in the driver’s seat that makes decisions. These decisions may vary from driver to driver, yet all of them can still be compliant. When talking about autonomous vehicles, there is anotion that they need to be instructed on how to behave in all possible situations. However, autonomous vehicles can adopt the same variety of decisions as human drivers do. On top of that, they can communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure, and the surrounding environment. As aresult, autonomous vehicles can solve tasks together in acooperative manner. Such shift in the capabilities of vehicles is so significant that we should not be asking how to make autonomous vehicles conform to the rules, but instead how to structure the rules so that they can conform with autonomous vehicles. This paper aims to present aposition on the latter question. Firstly, it describes key features of autonomous vehicles. Secondly, it takes into account relevant legal research in the field of autonomous mobility and identifies the problems that autonomous vehicles pose to the concept of liability. Finally, it provides asummary of key elements for atheoretical legal framework that can encompass autonomous vehicles. An autonomous vehicles vigilance system is proposed as apart of asolution to the liability problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the road traffic injuries account for over 1.35 million deaths and 50 million non-fatal injuries world-wide each year. It mentions the onset of autonomous vehicle technology promises to reduce the number of road-related deaths and injuries by taking the human driver out of the equation; and also mentions that newcomers to the market are making promising strides to bring the technology to consumers, and ride-sharing services.

In research on traffic injury prevention, young male drivers willing to take risks are known as "young problem drivers" and have been identified as the greatest road safety challenge. This intersectional study draws on interviews and participant observation, and employs a masculinity perspective to explore how 12 young, male drivers who were injured in severe accidents assess driving after their accidents and ways in which they construct their identities as disabled men. While the participants cited their accidents as a turning point that prompted a change in their attitudes and practices regarding driving, they often continued to engage in deviant driving practices, especially speeding. In addition, the men tended to distance themselves from the social category of disability. We propose that the field of traffic injury prevention would benefit from supplementing the biological approach in the research literature with cultural perspectives on the internal logics and prevailing masculinity discourses that guide the choices of young, male drivers. Also, we argue that the men's negotiation of disability illustrates the stigma still attached to the social category of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating vehicles have priority at modern roundabouts. Entrance vehicles can enter the roundabout when there is a time gap larger than the critical gap; otherwise, the vehicles need to wait until there is a large enough gap. The gap acceptance theory was used to analyze the entrance capacity of roundabouts, which can be derived by queuing theory involving two vehicle streams. The paper introduces the main styles of headway distribution, which are named as bunched exponential distribution or M3 distribution. The calculation model of free stream ratio is also introduced. The entrance capacity models can be classified by different entrance vehicle types, which are piecewise function or linear function, or by different critical gap types, which are constant or stochastic function. For each form, the typical capacity expressions are given. The calculation values show a very small difference between these kinds of models. The capacity value based on the critical gap of stochastic function is more realistic and more complex in function style. Some conclusions were derived that drivers' nonhomogeneous and inconsistent character is more realistic than the fixed critical gap and following gap. The calculation results of capacity are similar to the field capacity under the assumption of homogeneity and continuance, with only a minor percent deviation. Finally, the paper points out additional problems and the suggested research in capacity of roundabouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Rural 2-lane, 2-way (RTLTW) highways comprise a large portion of the rural road network in the United States. Crashes on RTLTW roads have been a major concern for traffic safety and may impact traffic significantly. Driver behavior on RTLTW roads has not been analyzed thoroughly. This article analyzed the role of driver behavior fault in crashes/near-crashes on RTLTW roads.Methods: A total of 467 crash/near-crash records and 160 baseline events (normal driving) were extracted from the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) database. The contribution of driver behavior to crash risk compared to roadway geometry and environmental factors was ranked using random forest. The influence of different factors on driver behavior fault in a crash/near-crash was further examined using a probit model. The reliability of the model was evaluated using 3 different parameters.Results: It was found that driver behavior fault was the most important factor in crashes that occurred on RTLTW roads. Driver age, traffic density, alignment, presence of an intersection, and hands on wheel were found to be highly related to driver behavior fault.Conclusions: Young drivers (16-19 years old) were more likely to have driving behavior fault compared to other age groups. The presence of an intersection may also slightly increase the probability of driver behavior fault. The curve on the road can increase the risk of driver behavior fault. Drivers were more likely to have driver behavior fault when no hands were on the wheel. Sites with curves near intersections are locations where drivers are more likely to have behavior fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Speed and reaction time have an important influence on traffic safety. The highway landscape can affect psychological and physiological characteristics, which are associated with the speed and reaction time of drivers. This study aimed to understand the association between the highway landscape and driving speed and reaction time.Methods: Two simulation experiments were conducted, referred to as experiment 1 and experiment 2. Forty-four drivers were recruited to participate in the experiments. Based on the road alignment and enclosure degree, in experiment 1 and experiment 2 the highway landscape was divided into 24 and 8 types, respectively. VS-Design was used to establish the virtual scenes. A KMRTDS driving simulator was used to perform the experiments.Results: Driver reaction time decreased with an increase in the enclosure degree of the road. Moreover, in straight sections, the speed decreased with an increase in the enclosure degree of the road, whereas in curved sections, the speed was mainly affected by the road geometric alignment.Conclusions: The driver's perceived ability was significantly affected by the highway landscape, and optimization of the highway landscape environment is necessary to promote transportation efficiency and improve the traffic safety situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Focus groups on anger events in cycling revealed 208 unique cycling anger events. • In a diary study, 54 unique cycling anger events were reported, therein seven new ones. • Most cycling anger events were related to car drivers’ reckless and negligent behaviours. • Inconsiderate pedestrians and lacking infrastructure were also reported often. • Strongest cycling anger was found for interactions with car drivers and pedestrians. Abstract Previous research shows that anger and aggression among road users lead to maladjusted driving and a higher risk of accidents. Especially cyclists as vulnerable road users have a high risk of being injured if they are involved in accidents. This paper examines reasons for cycling anger in two studies. The first study aimed at identifying anger provoking events. Seventy-three cyclists were invited to discuss anger provoking events in a focus group setting. These events were rated regarding their anger intensity, clustered within focus groups, and aggregated across all groups. The first study revealed 208 unique cycling anger provoking events of varying anger intensity that were summarized in six clusters. The second study aimed at validating these anger provoking events, the ratings, and the clusters. Here, 129 participants were asked to complete a four-time point diary study (over the course of ten days), in which they registered all anger provoking events that they experienced while cycling. The results of this study validated most of the anger provoking events of the first study. Both studies show that most anger provoking events are related to conflicts between cyclists with other road users like car drivers and pedestrians. Moreover, conflicts with car drivers seem to cause stronger anger among cyclists than conflicts with other cyclists or pedestrians. Implications for further research and the planning of road infrastructure are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A rotated head posture at the time of a rear-end impact is associated with a higher risk of acute and chronic whiplash injury. The objective of this study was to quantify the amplitude and duration of rotated head postures observed in drivers during naturalistic driving.Methods: Twenty volunteers (14 males: 36 ± 12 years, 6 females: 27 ± 5 years) drove a 2010 Subaru Impreza on public roads while their 3D head angular position relative to the car was recorded using inertial measurement units. An experimenter rode in the passenger seat (right side) and logged when subjects performed one of 6 head movements: Bilateral shoulder and side mirror checks, looking at the rearview mirror, and looking at the front seat passenger. Video of the subjects was used to confirm the logged head movements and identify movements that the experimenter missed. The duration and amplitude of all 6 head movements were tabulated and then compared between periods when the car was moving and when the car was stationary.Results: During a 68 ± 5-min drive, subjects performed a median (range) of 15 (5-39) left shoulder checks, 82.5 (29-167) left mirror checks, 40.5 (10-168) rearview mirror checks, 27.5 (3-113) right mirror checks, 60 (0-185) passenger looks, and 12.5 (1-28) right shoulder checks. Peak yaw angles of the head relative to the vehicle for these 6 movements averaged -81.5°, -34.3°, 16.2°, 42.1°, 58.2°, and 84.3°, respectively. Drivers spent a larger proportion of time in nonneutral postures when the vehicle was stopped (17.5%) compared to moving (8.2%) (Z = 3.92, P < .0001). Drivers also moved their head further from neutral during the movements when the car was stationary compared to moving (t19 = 5.90, P < .0001).Conclusions: Drivers use larger and longer duration head movements when stationary than when driving. Given an increased risk of whiplash injury for initially rotated head postures, these findings provide a possible explanation for why drivers are more likely to be injured when hit from behind while their vehicle is stationary. Further, the head postures characterized in this study can be used as initial conditions in volunteer and computational studies to improve our understanding of why nonneutral head postures are associated with increased whiplash injury risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of road safety, improvements in road traffic education have been recognized in several countries as an instrument for reducing road accidents. However, the level of road safety education imparted by different institutions lacks an objective performance measure regarding the level of awareness that different participants in the transport process have concerning road transportation risks. Based on an analytical hierarchy process to weigh the relative importance of different questions, in this paper, the fundamentals of a road safety questionnaire are presented and discussed, including the corresponding references for the contents of each question. This test was designed for six road transport participants: car drivers and passengers; public bus, motorcycle and bicycle riders; and pedestrians. For each of these participants, six areas of knowledge were addressed: applied situations, courtesy and urbanity, infrastructure, safety and human factors, traffic signals and rules/recommendations. The target population for applying the test was the inhabitants of the City of Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico. For a grading scale of 1 to 10, the lowest and highest grades were obtained by motorcycle riders (5.72) and pedestrians (8.84), respectively, which denotes the need for better instructions for motorcyclists regarding road safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes an interest in how students at a driving school are instructed how to make the car's behaviour intelligible (accountable) to other road users in traffic. Taking the indicator as an example, the analytic focus is on the ways in which the indicator's relevance is instructed and its timely activation practiced, and how activating the indicator is instructed as part of more encompassing turning procedures. The indicator is one of the central resources built into cars for displaying to others a driver's intention about where to go next. Although indicating does not, in itself, affect the movement of the car, activating the indicator is crucial for allowing others to anticipate a car's movement in space, and coordinate themselves with it. The analysis shows how instructors manage trainee drivers' instructed actions during driving by providing descriptions of what using the indicator accomplishes before a directive to turn (a), after a directive to turn (b), and as accounts for initiating correction of trainee driver car control activity (c). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrian injuries and fatalities represent one of the major road safety problems all around the world. In 2016, according to the Italian data 570 pedestrians were killed and more than 21,000 were injured in traffic-related crash; moreover than 50% of accidents that involve pedestrians occur at pedestrian crossings. The speed of the approaching cars to crosswalk is frequently inadequate especially in the peripheral area of the urban road network where roads are usually designed promoting mobility but actually provide access to roadside activities as well. For improving the safety of these vulnerable road users in these contexts speed reducing measures play a relevant role. This paper describes a driving simulator study designed to evaluate the drivers' behavior in response to different configurations of pedestrian crossings located on urban collector roads. Forty-eight participants drove a test route while data on their reaction time and on the maneuvers carry out in the moment of perception of the pedestrian crosswalk were collected. A statistically significant difference was revealed as a function of the type of engineering treatments. The most effective treatment was the pedestrian crossing located on speed humps with sinusoidal profile and with the colored surface, which generated the maximum speed reduction. The drivers were able to perceive in advance the pedestrian that suddenly crossed the street and the consequent maneuvers were carried out in a more effective way. In addition a benefits-costs evaluation allow demonstrating that a modest speed reduction will have a considerable effect on the probability of pedestrian fatality and allowing important social costs savings. Driving simulators offer a safe environment in which to test driver response while approaching pedestrian crossings, exploiting the important contribution that virtual reality techniques may offer while studying driverroad interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explicit traffic control measures are absent in uncontrolled intersections which make them susceptible to frequent conflicts and resulting collisions between vehicles. In developing countries like India, drivers at such intersections do not yield to higher priority movements which cause more crashes between vehicles. The objective of this study is to analyze and model the gap acceptance behavior of minor street drivers at uncontrolled T-intersections considering their aggressive nature. Three intersections in the northeast region of India have been selected as the case study area. Preliminary analysis of the data revealed that drivers behave aggressively, not because they have to wait for a long time at the stop line, but because of their lack of respect for traffic rules. Binary logit models are developed for minor road right turning vehicles which show that gap acceptance behavior is influenced by gap duration, clearing time and aggressive nature of drivers. The equations obtained were used to estimate the critical gaps for aggressive and non-aggressive drivers. Critical gaps are also calculated using an existing method called clearing behavior approach. It is also shown that the estimation of critical gap is more realistic if clearing time and aggressive behavior of drivers are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a Smart In-Vehicle Decision Support System (SIV-DSS) to help making better stop/go decisions in the indecision zone as a vehicle is approaching a signalized intersection. Supported by the Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications, the system integrates and utilizes the information from both vehicle and intersection. The effective decision support models of SIV-DSS are realized with the probabilistic sequential decision making process with the capability of combining a variety of advantages gained from a set of decision rules, where each decision rule is responsible to specific situations for making right decisions even without complete information. The decision rules are either extracted from the existing parametric models of the indecision zone problem, or designed as novel ones based on physical models utilizing the integrated information containing the key inputs from vehicle motion, vehicle-driver characteristics, intersection geometry and topology, signal phase and timings, and the definitions of red-light running (RLR). In SIV-DSS, the generality is reached through physical models utilizing a large number of accurate physical parameters, and the heterogeneity is treated by including a few behavioral parameters in driver characteristics. The performance of SIV-DSS is evaluated with systematic simulation experiments. The results show that the system can not only ensure traffic safety by greatly reducing the RLR probability, but also improve mobility by significantly reducing unnecessary stops at the intersection. Finally, we briefly discuss some relevant aspects and implications for SIV-DSS in practical implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Connected vehicles are able to proactively change speed to adapt to the prevailing traffic condition. Even in the mixed traffic environment, connected vehicles may function as leading vehicles, hence influencing the driving pattern of following nonconnected vehicles. This article proposes a cell‐based simulation approach to model the proactive driving behavior of connected vehicles. First, a state variable of connected vehicles is introduced to track the trajectory of connected vehicles. Then the exit flow of cells containing connected vehicles is adjusted to simulate the proactive driving behavior, such that the traffic light is green when the connected vehicle arrives at the signalized intersection. The second part of the article conducts numerical tests to examine the effect of the proactive driving behavior of connected vehicles. Extensive test results consistently show that the presence of connected vehicles contributes significantly to the smoothing of traffic flow and vehicular emission reductions in the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novice drivers are considered as the riskiest group of drivers due to caused accidents and injuries related to inexperience and propensity to take risks on the road. Thus, prospective analysis of importance of driving learning history for the novice drivers' future involvement in traffic violations or road accidents is extremely encouraged. This study is aimed to evaluate the importance of learning to drive experience and driving test (theory and on-road) performance for the prediction of objective traffic rules violations and later accident involvement in Lithuanian novice drivers. 598 learner drivers who obtained their driving licence for the first time participated in the longitudinal study. Information concerning their learning to drive experience before taking driving test, theory test and on-road driving test performance was obtained in the first stage of the study. Later information on the number of recorded traffic offenses committed by participants and number of accidents during the first year of their independent driving was obtained from the police records. The results showed that worse driving theory test performance, but not on-road driving test performance was related to the fact of being fined for traffic rules violations. While age and experience of learning to drive were not important predictors of being a traffic offender. Gender and length of independent driving were also important predictors for later traffic violations. This research was funded by a grant from the Research Council of Lithuania (grant No. GER- 005/2015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, with increased interest in high levels of automated driving systems such as automatic lane change system, the need for reliable assessment methods of driver acceptance has arisen. Because the acceptance depends on the individual, the assessment of the acceptance can only be based on an individual's personal attitude, expectations, and experiences. Accordingly, subjective evaluation methods have mostly been utilized to assess the acceptance of newly developed advanced driver assistance systems. In this study, an investigation of the effects of vehicle dynamic behavior and the traffic environment on driver acceptance is conducted to provide an objective evaluation method of driver acceptance for an automatic lane change system. In order to conduct the investigation, a specific experimental program is designed and a massive database, including information on interaction behaviors between drivers, a vehicle and the traffic environment is constructed with a selected group of 19 drivers. Then, 21 parameters and their descriptive statistics for an objective evaluation index are presented to illustrate the analysis results. The results of this research can be important not only for an objective evaluation of the acceptance, but can also be expanded to suggest design criteria for control of advanced and automated driving assistance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weaving lanes are designed to ensure the crossing of two or more traffic streams traveling in the same direction along stretch of road without the aid of traffic control devices. Weaving lanes assume a key role in roundabouts characterized by wide inscribed circle diameter, where the weaving maneuver represents a crucial aspect for safety. This is confirmed by several findings that demonstrate as the weaving maneuver is one of the most difficult operation to analyze in terms of road safety. Many studies report that the combination between the length of weaving lanes and the traffic volume is a key factor to explain high accident rate along interchange zones. Bearing in mind this facet, this article proposes an analysis of driver behavior on different weaving lanes in various traffic conditions performed on an interactive driving simulator. Different lengths of weaving lane combined with different traffic flow conditions were simulated, and the different drivers' performance have been analyzed. A risk assessment has been conducted by analyzing driver's behavior as a function of driver's risk perception. It has been observed that the increase of weaving lane length is effective only when the traffic flow conditions exceed a certain threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melbourne, Australia has the largest tram/streetcar network in the world including the largest mixed traffic tram operating environment. Therefore, Melbourne tram drivers are responsible for controlling one of the heaviest vehicles on road ranging from shared tram lanes to exclusive tram lanes. In addition to different tram lane configurations, tram drivers need to follow different traffic signal phases at intersections including tram priority signals as well as need to serve passengers at various types of closely spaced tram stops. Despite all these challenges, no research has explored tram driver perceptions of the risk factors on different tram route road design configurations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how tram drivers’ safety perceptions alter along various tram route sections, signal settings and stop configurations. A tram driver focus group approach was adopted for this research involving thirty tram drivers (4 female and 26 male drivers). The tram drivers’ age ranged from 29 to 63 years, with an average age of 47.6 years (standard deviation of 10.1 years), and their experience of tram driving ranged from 1.17 to 31 years, with an average experience of 12.5 years (standard deviation of 10.2 years). The participating tram drivers perceived that the raised tram tracks and tramways with raised yellow curbing beside tracks are safer lane priority features on the Melbourne tram network compared to full-time, part-time and mixed traffic tram lanes. They regarded ‘hook turns’ as a safe form of tram signal priority treatment at intersections and platform tram stops as the safest tram stop design for all passengers among all other tram stop designs in Melbourne. Findings of this research could enhance the understanding of crash risk factors for different tram route features and thus can offer effective planning strategies for transit agencies to improve tram road safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the sixth in a series of reviews of research on graduated driver licensing (GDL) published in the Journal of Safety Research , the present review covering the period mid-2012 through 2016. In the two decades since GDL programs began to be introduced on a widespread basis in the United States, a vast amount of research has been published. The current review discusses recent research and the present state of knowledge on the following topics: characteristics of the novice driver population; effects of GDL on crashes for ages 16–19; the learner and intermediate periods; night and passenger restrictions; cellphone laws; GDL for older novices; enforcement of GDL rules; and programs attempting to influence GDL compliance and safe driving practices in general. GDL stands out as a successful policy for reducing teen driver crashes and is worth building on to extend its benefits. Strengthening existing GDL programs has the most potential for producing further crash reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) automobile insurance, the premium is fixed based on the distance traveled, while in usage-based insurance (UBI) the driving patterns of the policyholder are also considered. In those schemes, drivers who drive more pay a higher premium compared to those with the same characteristics who drive only occasionally, because the former are more exposed to the risk of accident. In this paper, we analyze the simultaneous effect of the distance traveled and exposure time on the risk of accident by using Generalized Additive Models (GAM).We carry out an empirical application and show that the expected number of claims (1) stabilizes once a certain number of accumulated distance-driven is reached and (2) it is not proportional to the duration of the contract, which is in contradiction to insurance practice. Finally, we propose to use a rating system that takes into account simultaneously exposure time and distance traveled in the premium calculation. We think that this is the trend the automobile insurance market is going to follow with the eruption of telematics data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined drivers' perception of road traffic delay attributes and factors influencing road traffic delay with a view to assessing loss of man hours along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. This view translated to policy statements that can tremendously reduce the road traffic delay in the study area. Primary data were collected through questionnaire administration, traffic volume survey and direct field observation while the secondary data were obtained from past relevant journals, textbooks among others. The sample frame evolved from an average of 3 day traffic volume survey, which translated into 17,647 drivers between 7 am - 7 pm in the study area. The sample size was 117 (0.007%) as the purposive sampling technique was adopted. The frequency tables and likert scale outputs were adopted for data analyses. The study found that most drivers along this road were majorly (75.2%) young educated working adults while the trips made accounted for the concentration of work and after-work trips along this road. The study revealed that traffic delay along the road was largely due to indiscreet use of bus-stops, bad roads condition, drivers' recklessness with DAI values of 4.70, 3.77 and 3.41 respectively using a 5 Point Likert Scale. This study established that a total of 2,920 'manhours' was lost annually on this road as the daily accumulated estimate for man hour loss was estimated as 8 hours per day. The strict enforcement and monitoring of proper usage of bus-stops and prompt rehabilitation of bad roads are needed among other recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the differences between single-vehicle and multi-vehicle truck crashes in New York City. The random parameter models take into account the time of day effect, the heterogeneous truck weight effect and other influencing factors such as crash characteristics, driver and vehicle characteristics, built environment factors and traffic volume attributes. Based on the results from the co-location quotient analysis, a spatial generalized ordered probit model is further developed to investigate the potential spatial dependency among single-vehicle truck crashes. The sample is drawn from the state maintained incident data, the publicly available Smart Location Data, and the BEST Practices Model (BPM) data from 2008 to 2012. The result shows that there exists a substantial difference between factors influencing single-vehicle and multi-vehicle truck crash severity. It also suggests that heterogeneity does exist in the truck weight, and it behaves differently in single-vehicle and multi-vehicle truck crashes. Furthermore, individual truck crashes are proved to be spatially dependent events for both single and multi-vehicle crashes. Last but not least, significant time of day effects were found for PM and night time slots, crashes that occurred in the afternoons and at nights were less severe in single-vehicle crashes, but more severe in multi-vehicle crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young drivers remain overrepresented in road crashes around the world, with road injury the leading cause of death among adolescents. In addition, the majority of road traffic crashes, fatalities and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. All young drivers are at risk due to a breadth of age- and inexperience-related factors; however it is well recognised that young drivers may also intentionally engage in risky driving behaviours which increase their crash risk. The aim of this paper is to examine the self-reported risky driving behaviour of young drivers in Australia, New Zealand (high-income countries), and Colombia (middle-income country), and to explore the utility of a crash risk assessment model in these three countries. Young drivers aged 16–25 years completed the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS), in addition to self-reporting crash involvement and driving offences. A hierarchical segmentation analysis via decision trees was used to study the relationship between self-reported crashes and risky driving. Young drivers in Colombia reported more risky driving than young drivers in New Zealand, and considerably more risky driving than young drivers in Australia. Significant differences among and across countries in individual BYNDS items were found, and 23.5% of all participants reported they had been involved in a road crash. Handheld mobile phone usage was the strongest predictor of crashes, followed by driving after drinking alcohol, and carrying friends as passengers. Country of origin predicted mobile phone usage, with New Zealand and Colombia grouped in the same decision tree branch which implies no significant differences in the behaviour between these countries. Despite cultural differences in licensing programs and enforcement, young drivers reported engaging in a similar breadth of risky behaviours. Road crashes were explained by mobile phone usage, drink driving and driving with passengers, suggesting interventions should target these three risk factors. Whilst New Zealand and Australia have implemented graduated driver licensing programs, are geographical neighbours, and are high-income countries, the finding that behaviours of young drivers in New Zealand and Colombia were more similar than those of young drivers in New Zealand and Australia merits further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driver behavior analysis has recently been the focus of research to enhance traffic simulation modeling. Previous research has developed algorithms to model different driver types in both urban networks and freeways, and defined driver behavioral parameters based on pre-categorized driver groups. However, driver behaviors within the more confined, low speed, high pedestrian flow environment (such as CBD of a major city, urban downtown, campus) may be quite different and research concentrating on such locations is limited. The objective of this study is to assess and evaluate the relation between driver type and driver behavior within a relatively restrictive environment with high levels of pedestrian–vehicle interactions and develop suitable schemes to categorize driver types. To meet this objective, the University of Florida campus environment was used as the starting point of analyzing such driver types and behaviors, and a diverse pool of drivers was selected based on age, gender, driving experiences, etc. to participate in surveys and an instrumented vehicle study. The instrumented vehicle was used to collect vehicle trajectory and driver behavior data from the study subjects on the campus at the University of Florida. Two performance measures (namely, driver-desired speed and yield behavior) were applied to categorize driver types. These two categorizations provided consistent results and indicated that either one can be effectively applied in future studies for driver type classifications. Additional comparisons of driver background and personal characteristics obtained from questionnaires further confirmed the driver classification results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately estimating driving styles is crucial to designing useful driver assistance systems and vehicle control systems for autonomous driving that match how people drive. This paper presents a novel way to identify driving style not in terms of the durations or frequencies of individual maneuver states, but rather the transition patterns between them to see how they are interrelated. Driving behavior in highway traffic was categorized into 12 maneuver states, based on which 144 (12 × 12) maneuver transition probabilities were obtained. A conditional likelihood maximization method was employed to extract typical maneuver transition patterns that could represent driving style strategies, from the 144 probabilities. Random forest algorithm was adopted to classify driving styles using the selected features. Results showed that transitions concerning five maneuver states – free driving, approaching, near following, constrained left and right lane changes – could be used to classify driving style reliably. Comparisons with traditional methods were presented and discussed in detail to show that transition probabilities between maneuvers were better at predicting driving style than traditional maneuver frequencies in behavioral analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many authors have recognized that traffic under the traditional car-following model (CFM) is subject to flow instabilities. A recent model achieves stability using bilateral control (BCM)-by looking both forward and backward [1]. (Looking back may be difficult or distracting for human drivers, but is not a problem for sensors.) We analyze the underlying systems of differential equations by studying their eigenvalues and eigenvectors under various boundary conditions. Simulations further confirm that bilateral control can avoid instabilities and reduce the chance of collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The driver’s bounded rationality has significant influences on the micro driving behavior and researchers proposed some traffic flow models with the driver’s bounded rationality. However, little effort has been made to explore the effects of the driver’s bounded rationality on the trip cost. In this paper, we use our recently proposed car-following model to study the effects of the driver’s bounded rationality on his running cost and the system’s total cost under three traffic running costs. The numerical results show that considering the driver’s bounded rationality will enhance his each running cost and the system’s total cost under the three traffic running costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study located in Auckland, New Zealand, was used to quantify the magnitude of savings that may result if the SCATS adaptive traffic control system contains an explicitly combined queue estimation and offset adjustment on a cycle-by-cycle basis. A validated SATURN traffic model was used to evaluate five scenarios that represent the short-run and long-run efficiency gains resulting from progressive signal adaption with an objective of queue minimisation on the main corridors. Optimisation was applied both area-wide, and on selected arterial corridors, using a combined split/offset optimisation routine with responsive driver behaviour to achieve a network-wide and corridor-specific efficiency gain. The modelling heuristic evaluates the efficiency of both the Equisat and P0 optimisation policies that would mimic a more progressive adaption of signals under SCATS. Results for the long-run area-wide optimisation can produce network-wide travel-time savings in the order of 20% and a reduction in transient queues of 28% if only selected corridors are optimised, with a 5% reduction in journey time over an average 8-min journey. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional vehicle mobility is restricted to the driver habits and the line-of-sight. The new-emerging connected vehicles enable information exchange with each other at vicinity, which will undoubtedly bring a greatly positive effect on the vehicle mobility pattern. In this paper, we propose to modeling and analyzing the vehicle mobility patterns respectively driven by traditional drivers and connected drivers. We perform the extensive simulations to explore the statistical differences between two mobility patterns and the underlying reasons through comparing to the real vehicle trace datasets. The results show that they behave quite diversely at the concerned aspects, e.g. degree distribution, clustering coefficient, topological shortest path, topological coefficient, and vehicle density, and also we find that the connected vehicles are well distributed and contribute a relieved traffic congestion situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representative path set between an origin and destination (OD) pair is useful for various transportation areas such as traffic assignment, travel information service, and traffic management. With the development of telecommunication technology, a car navigation system now collects trajectory-type data that can show the routes generated by drivers. Thus, the travel paths of individual travelers are available for the transportation study. Unfortunately, the availability of individual path data cannot guarantee direct application to the transportation model because it does not give us the significant path set between the OD pairs. Every driver in the real world has different starting and finishing points, yet these points are in a same origin and destination zone. In this study, a new methodology to determine the representative path set between an OD pair based on vehicle trajectory data is developed. This new model is tested with simulation data and compares various results according to clustering parameters. Experimental results indicate that the developed model correctly clustered representative paths, and these could represent subtrajectories from various trajectory data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates the safety effect of illumination on accidents at highway-rail grade crossings in the United States, using data from exhaustive data from Federal Railroad Administration database covering the period 2002-2011. Using mixed logit modeling approach, the study explores the determinants of driver injury severity at unlighted highway-rail grade crossings compared with lighted highway-rail grade crossings in the United States. Several key issues are explored including availability of relevant highway-rail grade crossing accident inventory data; relevant data element structures; specification and estimation of models to estimate driver's injury severity with lighting and without lighting; and techniques to interpret model parameters. Overall, highway-rail grade crossing lighting improves safety by reducing the probability of high-level injury severity through improvements in driver's visibility compared with unlighted intersections. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic injury is the leading cause of work-related death and serious injury in Australia. Despite this, limited attention has been given to the development and implementation of effective preventive strategies within the workplace setting. A safe driving environment at work not only depends on individual compliance with safe driving practices but on all individuals understanding risks, anticipating threats to safety, showing concern for the safety of others, and contributing to safety improvements in the organisation. In particular, workgroup supervisors play a pivotal role in creating a safe work environment. This paper describes a new and innovative conceptual framework for a program designed to improve work-related driver safety. The focus of this program is on developing the skills of supervisors in identifying situations in which their drivers may be at risk on the road (e.g., drivers are tired, stressed, under pressure to meet deadlines) and to managing these situations through effective safety leadership. This paper describes development of the Safety Management for the Occupational Driver (SMOD) program and an implementation case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in driving behavior due to the presence of users familiar (or unfamiliar) with the road are considered in the road and traffic engineering. However, although considered, the matter is largely unexplored: there is a lack of theoretical foundations and data on determining the impact of route familiarity on accident rates, speed choice and risk perception. On the other hand, some literature studies confirm that route familiarity is influential on driving behavior, encouraging research in this sense. This paper reports the results of an on-road test carried out on a two lane rural road in the District of Bari in the Puglia Region (Italy) over six days of testing by following this time schedule: first four tests in four consecutive days, the fifth test in the ninth day after the first test and the sixth test in the twenty-sixth day after the first test. The main aim of the experiment was to find relationships between route familiarity and speed choice. In particular, speed data were analyzed by considering the influence of road geometry and human factors. The main finding is that speed choice seems to be affected by route familiarity: speed increases with the repetition of travels on the same route. The particular schedule used for the tests allows to consider the influence of memory on the speed behavior of the test drivers. Moreover, some relationships between changes in speed over days, road geometry and drivers’ attitudes were shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vehicles in the condition of car-following perform different features comparing their motion in free traffic, and the discrepancy reflect driving style, which serves as important part of uncertainly of traffic. Several phenomena and driving characteristics, such as hysteresis in velocity-spacing curve, were found and utilized to improve the understanding of driving and some other safety study. Here we show that the hysteresis phenomenon is discrepant between drivers in stop-and-go waves (a special case of car-following which is relative stable), and the diversity which indicates driver style (such as aggressive and timid) is quantified using some low order car-following models. By calculating driving characteristics and examining the trajectory data in NGSim dataset, we demonstrated the safe distance – which was usually considered adiabatically on velocity – was significantly affected by driving characteristics. We further analyzed statistical properties of driving characteristics in NGSim data, and on eventual we provided a classification method to evaluate security of car-following behavior and to adjust the safe distance for different drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multivariate, layered nature of traffic accident analysis (TAA) determines that any TAA method must be categorized according to causational factors and encompass all four basic traffic elements, i.e. driver, vehicle, road and environment. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to sequence accident causation factors according to their relative importance, with the purpose of singling out the most influential ones. The Apriori algorithm is then applied to analyze the degree of an accident or the level of influence. Through applications, the method proves itself capable of determining the type and severity of accidents caused by multiple factors. The method also demonstrates improvement in the accuracy and efficiency of calculation in dealing with large data samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driver's propensity describes the physiological and psychological states of a vehicle driver and can be used as a dynamic measurement of driver characteristics and an important index for determining factors that may affect driver characteristics such as emotional state and decision preference. Drivers with different propensities behave differently under the same traffic situations; therefore, it is an important concept for studying traffic flow theory and developing new vehicle warning systems. In this study we focused on the prediction of driver's propensity, and an overall consideration of the physiological and psychological indexes which influence the prediction were investigated. Psychological measurements, simulated driving, and vehicle tests were conducted and a prediction model for driver's propensity was established. Validation results showed that the method in this paper was a better predictor of driver's propensity than previous methods, and the new model provides a basis for further study of dynamic characteristics and recognition of driver's propensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reveal the influence of driver’s individual behavior on traffic flow more accurately, a new car-following model is proposed with consideration of multiple drives’ desired velocities. The stability criterion of the new model is derived through linear stability theory and the results show that the current driver’s desired velocity can stabilize traffic flow but the preceding driver’s desired velocity can damage traffic stability. Through nonlinear analysis, the traffic jamming transition characteristics near the critical point can be described by the kink–antikink soliton of the mKdV equation. Numerical simulation confirms the analytical results, which shows that the multiple drivers’ desired velocities play an important role in traffic evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solutions to highway–rail grade crossings require understanding driver responses to traffic controls at crossings. This study examines differences in driver behaviors and safety at several types of passive traffic controls at grade crossings utilizing a high-fidelity driving simulator at the University of Tennessee. This article investigates the use of Stop and Yield signs as viable alternatives to upgrading a passive grade crossing to an active grade crossing. In addition to presenting descriptive statistics, mixed-effects regression models were estimated to handle repeated observations by 64 test participants. Additionally, path analysis provides a more nuanced interpretation of the results. Stop signs at railroad grade crossings were found to be associated with an increased likelihood of drivers looking for an oncoming train while approaching such passive crossings. They were also more inclined to reduce speeds and or stop. There were fewer violations at crossings with Stop signs when a train coming. The behaviors of drivers when faced with Yield signs were very similar to crossbuck signs, with little looking or stopping. The findings imply that Stop signs have the potential to decrease the chance of colliding with a train at passive grade crossings and reduce the crash severity even if a crash occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Surrogate safety measures (SSM) as indicators of accidents are useful tools in safety evaluations. Nowadays, developing intelligent vehicles without drivers in order to reduce the human errors is a popular topic in civil engineering. Such vehicles are equipped with intelligent collision avoidance systems (CAS), in which safety indicators are applied as warning strategies. Heretofore, different safety indicators have been developed, but most of them are suitable for rear-end conflicts. In this paper, a new framework is proposed to calculate the risk of sideswipe collisions at each instant based on SSM. For this purpose, time-to-collision (TTC) and post-encroachment time (PET), as the most important time-based indicators would be applied and a new method would be presented to calculate these indicators. The application of the framework is illustrated by microscopic traffic data for an arterial road. In all, the new framework has three main applications: 1- As a warning strategy for CAS, 2- Specifying dangerous positions and 3- Identifying aggressive drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an incompatibility between how transport engineers think drivers behave in roadworks and how they actually behave. As a result of this incompatibility we are losing approximately a lane's worth of capacity in addition to those closed by the roadworks themselves. The problem would have little significance were it not for the fact a lane of motorway costs approx. £30 m per mile to construct and £43 k a year to maintain, and that many more roadworks are planned as infrastructure constructed 40 or 50 years previously reaches a critical stage in its lifecycle. Given current traffic volumes, and the sensitivity of road networks to congestion, the effects of roadworks need to be accurately assessed. To do this requires a new ergonomic approach. A large-scale observational study of real traffic conditions was used to identify the issues and impacts, which were then mapped to the ergonomic knowledge-base on driver behaviour, and combined to developed practical guidelines to help in modelling future roadworks scenarios with greater behavioural accuracy. Also stemming from the work are novel directions for the future ergonomic design of roadworks themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of enhancing the visibility of motorcycles and pedestrians for motorists via safety messages concerning the vulnerability of these road users. Background In several cases of collision between cars and vulnerable road users (VRU), car drivers failed to detect the latter in time to avoid collision because of their low conspicuity. Method 2 groups of 17 motorists (23.6 years old) carried out a VRU detection task in 2 sessions in a car-driving simulator after either watching or not watching a film presenting safety messages about the vulnerability of these road users. Participants had to detect pedestrians and motorcyclists standing at the road side or who appeared on different parts of the road. Results The group of motorists who watched the film detected these VRUs at a greater distance and drove safely in zones which constitute a high risk of collision for pedestrians (key areas). Only the intensity of anger felt after the film can explain the improvement in VRU visibility distance. Moreover, this improvement was also associated with a modification in speed management in key areas. This last result provides evidence of the importance of top down processes in the detection of VRUs by motorists. Conclusion The film enhanced VRU visibility and led to safer driving behaviour for pedestrians. Application The practical implications of these results for safety campaigns and future directions of research on the emotional states of motorists and their perception during driving are considered. Short abstract We examine motorists’ ability to detect motorcycles and pedestrians (VRUs) in a simulated car-driving task after watching a film presenting safety messages about VRU vulnerability. Informed motorists detect VRU sooner and drive in a safer way for pedestrians. We also consider practical implications and futures lines of research related to safety campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]