Effects of Speed Reduction Marking Patterns on Simulated Driving Speed and Lane Position

Speed reduction markings have been installed on highways as perceptual countermeasures for speeding. However, little is known about the effects of the shape and interval of road markings on driving speed and lane position. In this paper, a driving simulator experiment and questionnaires were performed to explore the effects of speed reduction marking patterns on driving speed and standard deviation of lane position (SDLP), as well as drivers’ subjective feelings, mental workload, and visual attention. Thirty-nine participants drove on a simulated two-lane rural highway where speed reduction markings with different shapes and intervals were presented at horizontal curves. The pavement markings were associated with reduced throttle values and mean speed in advance of a horizontal curve. The marking shape did not affect participants’ speed choice or SDLP. A cognitive alerting effect of the speed reduction markings was dominant because the participants did not drive more slowly with the markings with converging intervals toward the traveling direction compared to those with a constant interval. A questionnaire on drivers’ attention reflected a potential use of road markings for drivers’ lane-position maintenance. Since less than 18 % of the participants noticed the convergence in marking intervals, speed reduction markings may also induce the perceptual illusion of acceleration.