The effect of driver eye height on speed choice, lane-keeping, and car-following behavior: results of two driving simulator studies

OBJECTIVE: Two simulator studies were conducted that assessed the effect of driver eye height on speed choice, lane-keeping, and car-following behavior. The effect of eye height on the subjective variables of mental workload, frustration, and confidence was also investigated, as was the contribution of drivers' aggression. METHODS: A total of 43 participants drove a simulated route while seated at two different eye heights: one that represented the view of the road from a large SUV and one that represented the view of the road from a small sports car. Driving scenarios were comprised of both open road and car-following segments. Dependent variables included driver-selected speed, speed variability, lane position, following distance to a slower-moving lead vehicle, and the subjective variables of frustration, confidence, and mental workload. RESULTS: When viewing the road from a high eye height, drivers drove faster, with more variability, and were less able to maintain a consistent position within the lane than when viewing the road from a low eye height. Driver eye height did not influence following distance to a slower-moving lead vehicle. Driver aggression had no effect on any of the dependent variables except level of frustration. CONCLUSIONS: The two studies demonstrate that, when they are not able to reference a speedometer, drivers choose to drive faster when they view the road from an eye height that is representative of a large SUV compared to that of a small sports car. There is a need to educate drivers of SUVs and other tall vehicles of this perceptual phenomenon in order to prevent collisions that may occur in conditions where it is impossible for drivers to base their speed selection solely on posted speed limits, such as in inclement weather.     

Situational characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents involving vehicles traveling at low speeds in Japan

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the situational characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents involving vehicles traveling at low speeds in Japan. We focused on vehicles with 4 or more wheels. Such characteristics included daytime or nighttime conditions, road type, vehicle behaviors preceding the accident, and vehicle impact locations.

Methods: Pedestrian fatality data on vehicle–pedestrian accidents were obtained from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis of Japan (ITARDA) from 2005 to 2014. Nine vehicle classifications were considered: Trucks with gross vehicle weight (GVW) ≥7.5 tons and <7.5 tons, buses, box vans, minivans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), sedans, light passenger cars (LPCs), and light cargo vans (LCVs). We compared the situational daytime or nighttime conditions, road type, vehicle behaviors preceding the accident, and vehicle impact locations for accident-involved vehicles traveling at low and higher speeds across all vehicle types.

Results: The results indicate that pedestrian fatalities involving vehicles traveling at low speeds occurred more often under daytime conditions across all vehicle types. At signalized intersections, the relative proportions of pedestrian fatalities were significantly higher when vehicles were traveling at low speed, except when the accidents involved box vans or SUVs. Similarly, when vehicles turned right, the relative proportions of pedestrian fatalities were significantly higher when vehicles traveling at low speed were involved across all vehicle types. In terms of the frontal right vehicle impact location, the relative proportions of pedestrian fatalities were significantly higher when trucks with GVW ≥7.5 tons or <7.5 tons, sedans, or LCVs traveling at low speed were involved.

Conclusions: The situational characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents involving vehicles traveling at low speeds identified in this study can guide targeted development of new traffic safety regulations or technologies specific to vehicle–pedestrian interactions at low vehicle travel speeds (i.e., driver alert devices or automated emergency braking systems). Ultimately, these developments can improve pedestrian safety by reducing the frequency or severity of vehicle–pedestrian accidents for vehicles turning right at intersections and/or reducing the number of resultant pedestrian fatalities.     

倒计时信号灯绿灯间隔时间设置研究

就保障倒计时信号交叉口交通安全而言,适当设置倒计时信号灯绿灯间隔时间具有重要意义。选择南京一个道路交叉口,利用交通冲突理论,分析产生严重交通冲突的条件,考虑车流不饱和与饱和2种情况,得到在不发生严重交通冲突条件下的绿灯间隔时间,并通过实例说明。研究结果显示,在车流饱和状态下,头车与尾车均为大车时,头车以初速度零开始加速进入交叉口时绿灯间隔时间应最短;在不饱和状态下,头车与尾车均为大车时,头车以一定速度通过交叉口时绿灯间隔时间应最长;车流饱和时绿灯间隔时间应较短,车流不饱和时绿灯设置间隔时间应较长。     

Effects of environment, vehicle and driver characteristics on risky driving behavior at work zones

This study aims to analyze the effects of environment, vehicle and driver characteristics on the risky driving behavior at work zones. A decision tree is developed using the classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm to graphically display the relationship between the risky driving behavior and its influencing factors. This approach could avoid the inherent problems occurred in the conventional logistic regression models and further improve the model prediction accuracy. Based on the Michigan M-94/I-94/I-94BL/I-94BR highway work zone driving behavior data, the decision tree comprising 33 leaf nodes is built. Bad weather, poor road and light conditions, partial/no access control, no traffic control devices, turning left/right and driving in an old vehicle are found to be associated with the risky driving behavior at work zones. The middle-aged drivers, who are going straight ahead in their vehicles with medium service time and equipped with an airbag system, are more likely to take risky behavior at lower work zone speed limits. Further, the middle-aged male drivers engage in risky driving behavior more frequently than the middle-aged female drivers. The number of lanes exhibits opposing effects on risky behavior under different traveling conditions. More specifically, the risky driving behavior is associated with the single-lane road under bad light or weather conditions while drivers are more likely to engage in risky behavior on the multi-lane road under good light conditions.     

三岔型枢纽互通事故高发匝道的形成机制与安全提升研究*

为研究高速公路三岔型互通右转匝道车辆事故的发生机制,以宜宾至叙永高速公路双桥枢纽互通为对象,运用Carsim/trucksim软件建立事故匝道的三维数字模型,模拟小客车和货柜车的运行过程,设置3种不同工况,对车辆在匝道上的动力学特性进行分析。结果表明:行驶速度升高会导致匝道路段的车辆横向偏离增大,发生侧滑或侧翻的几率增加;充分制动距离是保证车辆安全通过匝道受限路段的重要因素,货车需要更长的制动距离;道路视觉环境是影响驾驶人速度选择行为的重要因素,匝道路段与高速公路主线行驶环境的高度近似,导致驾驶人选择较高的速度进入匝道,部分车辆在小半径弯道之前无法将速度降低至安全速度,进而发生事故。本文运用行车动力学仿真和驾驶人视觉手段,在驾驶行为层面分析事故的形成机制,进而提出安全提升措施,可为匝道线形设计和交通运行管理提供科学依据。     

Analysis of Driver Evasive Maneuvering Prior to Intersection Crashes Using Event Data Recorders

Objective: Intersection crashes account for over 4,500 fatalities in the United States each year. Intersection Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (I-ADAS) are emerging vehicle-based active safety systems that have the potential to help drivers safely navigate across intersections and prevent intersection crashes and injuries. The performance of an I-ADAS is expected to be highly dependent upon driver evasive maneuvering prior to an intersection crash. Little has been published, however, on the detailed evasive kinematics followed by drivers prior to real-world intersection crashes. The objective of this study was to characterize the frequency, timing, and kinematics of driver evasive maneuvers prior to intersection crashes.

Methods: Event data recorders (EDRs) downloaded from vehicles involved in intersection crashes were investigated as part of NASS-CDS years 2001 to 2013. A total of 135 EDRs with precrash vehicle speed and braking application were downloaded to investigate evasive braking. A smaller subset of 59 EDRs that collected vehicle yaw rate was additionally analyzed to investigate evasive steering. Each vehicle was assigned to one of 3 precrash movement classifiers (traveling through the intersection, completely stopped, or rolling stop) based on the vehicle's calculated acceleration and observed velocity profile. To ensure that any significant steering input observed was an attempted evasive maneuver, the analysis excluded vehicles at intersections that were turning, driving on a curved road, or performing a lane change. Braking application at the last EDR-recorded time point was assumed to indicate evasive braking. A vehicle yaw rate greater than 4° per second was assumed to indicate an evasive steering maneuver.

Results: Drivers executed crash avoidance maneuvers in four-fifths of intersection crashes. A more detailed analysis of evasive braking frequency by precrash maneuver revealed that drivers performing complete or rolling stops (61.3%) braked less often than drivers traveling through the intersection without yielding (79.0%). After accounting for uncertainty in the timing of braking and steering data, the median evasive braking time was found to be between 0.5 to 1.5 s prior to impact, and the median initial evasive steering time was found to occur between 0.5 and 0.9 s prior to impact. The median average evasive braking deceleration for all cases was found to be 0.58 g. The median of the maximum evasive vehicle yaw rates was found to be 8.2° per second. Evasive steering direction was found to be most frequently in the direction of travel of the approaching vehicle.

Conclusions: The majority of drivers involved in intersection crashes were alert enough to perform an evasive action. Most drivers used a combination of steering and braking to avoid a crash. The average driver attempted to steer and brake at approximately the same time prior to the crash.     

车路协同下信号控制交叉口两难区问题改善方法

为降低两难区对信号控制交叉口交通安全的影响,针对车路协同环境下交通信息获取方式及交叉口区域车辆运行特点,提出信号控制交叉口两难区问题改善方法。在分析各种两难区问题改善措施的适用性基础上,确定车路协同环境下信号控制交叉口两难区问题改善方法的工作流程,综合运用车速引导、动态绿灯时间延长和黄灯时间调整等3种措施降低车辆进入两难区的概率,并提出主要参数计算方法。运用Vissim软件进行仿真试验,结果表明,笔者建立的两难区问题改善方法能使车辆闯红灯次数平均降低78.1%,且改善效果在低峰流量时优于高峰流量时。     

Actual and perceived social norms of children’s road crossing behavior

This study compared the actual and perceived social norms regarding road crossing behaviors, and aimed at uncovering a misperception of group norms. The basic notion underlying the study was that if children perceived the behaviors and attitudes of their friends regarding road crossing as more negative than they actually are, this might lead the children to adopt riskier behavior when crossing the road. The participants were comprised of 123 elementary school children (ages from 6 to 13; 78 boys - 65% and 42 girls - 35%) from Beitar-Ilit, a religious city in Israel. A questionnaire especially constructed for the study was administered to the participants. A t-test yielded a significant difference between the child’s own attitudes score and the perceived peers’ attitudes score. On average, children perceive their friends’ attitudes with regard to road crossing behaviors as being more negative compared to their own attitudes. A second t-test yielded a significant difference between the child’s own behavior score and the perceived peers’ behavior score. Children perceived the road crossing behavior of their friends as riskier relative to their own crossing behavior. A regression test revealed that the variables, perceived peers’ attitudes and perceived peers’ behaviors, contributed significantly to the explained variance: the more risky the perceived peers’ attitudes and behaviors with regard to road crossing, the more risky the child’s own behavior when crossing the road. It is hoped that an interventional educational program based on positive norms in the social group will encourage children to exhibit safe behavior in the roads.     

事故车辆影响下的城市三车道道路交通流仿真

为探究事故车辆对城市三车道道路交通影响机制,首先,分析考虑事故车辆的城市三车道道路交通流特征;然后,构建左车道优先且考虑主动抢道和被动抢道行为的元胞自动机交通流模型;最后;研究事故持续时间td变化时事故车辆分别位于M道和R道的城市道路交通流演化。结果表明:事故车辆会形成交通瓶颈,呈现上游车辆聚集下游车辆稀疏的时空特征,诱发交通拥堵,事故车辆对三车道交通影响明显小于两车道情形;且事故车辆位于R车道对道路交通流影响比事故车辆位于M车道更小,但这种影响的差异随进车率pe增加而减小。     

Characteristics of vehicle-animal crashes in which vehicle occupants are killed

During the past 10 years almost 1,500 people have been killed in motor vehicle collisions with animals. Police reports on 147 fatal vehicle-animal crashes during 2000-2002 were obtained from nine states. The goal was to determine common crash types, types of animals involved, and steps that could be taken to reduce the crashes and injuries. Seventy-seven percent of the struck animals were deer, but six other types of animals were involved including small ones such as dogs. Eighty percent of the crashes were single-vehicle events. In most of these cases a motorcycle struck an animal and the rider came off the vehicle, or a passenger vehicle struck an animal and then ran off the road; in a few cases the animal went through the windshield. Multiple-vehicle crashes included vehicles striking deer that went through the windshields of oncoming vehicles, vehicles striking animals and then colliding with other vehicles, and vehicles striking animals that subsequently were struck by other vehicles. Crashes occurred primarily in rural areas, on roads with 55 mph or higher speed limits, during evening or nighttime hours, and in darkness. Greater application of deer-vehicle collision countermeasures known to be effective is needed, but it is noteworthy that a majority of fatalities occurred from subsequent collisions with other vehicles or objects, not from animal contacts. Sixty-five percent of motorcyclists killed were not wearing helmets, and 60% of vehicle occupants killed were unbelted; many of these fatalities would not have occurred with proper protection.     

A qualitative study of college students' perceptions of risky driving and social influences

Objectives: Young adults and teens are documented as the riskiest drivers on the road, and newer issues such as texting and driving are a growing concern. This study sought to determine the risk perceptions of young adults regarding various driving behaviors, their past experiences, how their social circles are structured, and how this might affect their driving. Methods: This study conducted qualitative research with 25 college undergraduate students to determine their peer and social influences regarding distracted driving. Data were analyzed and related to the health belief model and past research on social influence. Results: Though most participants felt that their behaviors were set after learning to drive, they were, in fact, quite susceptible to the influence of those in their social circles (e.g., fear of judgment and accountability) and, more broadly, to social norms. Texting and driving was the largest and most topical distracted driving issue and was also identified as very difficult to stop due to perceived barriers and the idea that intervening is rude. Participants identified low perceived susceptibility and severity (perceived threat) for a number of risky driving behaviors, including texting and driving. Conclusions: Training is needed to encourage people to intervene and speak up regarding behaviors other than drinking and driving, and cues to action and campaigns should target intervention to increase self-efficacy, as well as norms, susceptibility, and common rationalizations for risky behavior.     

Crossing a two-way street: comparison of young and old pedestrians

IntroductionChoosing a safe gap in which to cross a two-way street is a complex task and only few experiments have investigated age-specific difficulties.MethodA total of 18 young (age 19–35), 28 younger-old (age 62–71) and 38 older-old (age 72–85 years) adults participated in a simulated street-crossing experiment in which vehicle approach speed and available time gaps were varied. The safe and controlled simulated environment allowed participants to perform a real walk across an experimental two-way street. The differences between the results for the two lanes are of particular interest to the study of visual exploration and crossing behaviors.ResultsThe results showed that old participants crossed more slowly, adopted smaller safety margins, and made more decisions that led to collisions than did young participants. These difficulties were found particularly when vehicles approached in the far lane, or rapidly. Whereas young participants considered the time gaps available in both lanes to decide whether to cross the street, old participants made their decisions mainly on the basis of the gap available in the near lane while neglecting the far lane.ConclusionsThe present results point to attentional deficits as well as physical limitations in older pedestrians. Several practical and have implications in terms of road design and pedestrian training are proposed.     

事故车辆影响下的城市道路交通仿真研究

为研究事故车辆影响下城市道路交通的特征，构建考虑车辆抢道行为的元胞自动机交通流模型，研究给定冲突区域长度下不同进车率和不同事故持续时间对城市道路交通流的影响。研究结果表明:事故车辆会诱发交通瓶颈，对城市交通产生显著干扰并形成拥堵带，且拥堵带向事故车辆上游传递。不同事故持续时间下交通流演化存在差异，道路平均车流量、车流平均密度随着事故持续时间的增加而增加，车辆平均速度随之减小。当道路中车辆较少（pin=0.3）且事故持续时间达到15 min时，交通处于严重拥堵状态；当道路中车辆较多（pin=0.5）、事故持续时间达到5 min时，交通即处于严重拥堵状态。研究结果可为优化城市交通事故处理机制提供依据。     

雾霾时车辆尾气排放对驾驶员能见度的影响

针对北京道路车辆尾气排放对雾霾时驾驶员道路能见度的影响问题,建立了雾霾时车辆尾气排放与驾驶员道路能见度关系模型。该模型以车辆为单元建立车辆尾气排放元胞,考虑了车辆尾气排放后的污染物物理和化学变化,并以车道中的尾气排放位置截面及截面单元、交叉口处的尾气排放位置区间为模型单元。为验证该模型,于2016年10月-2017年2月和2017年10月-2018年2月,在北京地区部分路网检测了驾驶员道路能见度等数据,并统计了各时段驾驶员道路能见度的分布情况。对建立的关系模型进行仿真,结果表明,该关系模型的仿真结果与实际检测数据的误差占比平均值小于4. 98%,验证了该关系模型用于描述北京市道路车辆尾气排放对雾霾时驾驶员道路能见度影响的有效性。     

Occupational safety conditions of bus drivers in Metro Manila,the Philippines

The study looks into the occupational safety and working conditions among bus drivers in Metro Manila, the Philippines. Quantitative data were collected through survey interviews of 95 bus drivers using the stratified sampling technique. Results showed that bus drivers worked an average of 16?h/day and were engaged in risky driving behaviors such as over-speeding and road racing in order to reach their quota for the day. Fifty-nine percent experienced work-related accidents, with a mean of three accidents. The most common accident was hitting another vehicle followed by side swipe. The accidents were blamed on other drivers, followed by vehicle defect, inattentiveness and tiredness/micro-sleep or sudden involuntary sleep while driving. The most common health symptoms experienced by the bus drivers were fatigue, back pain, and cough and colds. This study underlines the need for an occupational health and safety program for bus drivers in the Philippines.     

Evaluating safety-influencing factors at stop-controlled intersections using automated video analysis

Introduction: Although stop signs are popular in North America, they have become controversial in cities like Montreal, Canada where they are often installed to reduce vehicular speeds and improve pedestrian safety despite limited evidence demonstrating their effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of stop-control configuration (and other features) on safety using statistical models and surrogate measures of safety (SMoS), namely vehicle speed, time-to-collision (TTC), and post-encroachment time (PET), while controlling for features of traffic, geometry, and built environment. Methods: This project leverages high-resolution user trajectories extracted from video data collected for 100 intersections, 336 approaches, and 130,000 road users in Montreal to develop linear mixed-effects regression models to account for within-site and within-approach correlations. This research proposes the Intersection Exposure Group (IEG) indicator, an original method for classifying microscopic exposure of pedestrians and vehicles. Results: Stop signs were associated with an average decrease in approach speed of 17.2 km/h and 20.1 km/h, at partially and fully stop-controlled respectively. Cyclist or pedestrian presence also significantly lower vehicle speeds. The proposed IEG measure was shown to successfully distinguish various types of pedestrian-vehicle interactions, allowing for the effect of each interaction type to vary in the model. Conclusions: The presence of stop signs significantly reduced approach speeds compared to uncontrolled approaches. Though several covariates were significantly related to TTC and PET for vehicle pairs, the models were unable to demonstrate a significant relationship between stop signs and vehicle–pedestrian interactions. Therefore, drawing conclusions regarding pedestrian safety is difficult. Practical Applications: As pedestrian safety is frequently used to justify new stop sign installations, this result has important policy implications. Policies implementing stop signs to reduce pedestrian crashes may be less effective than other interventions. Enforcement and education efforts, along with geometric design considerations, should accompany any changes in traffic control.     

基于SEM的双车道公路超车行为安全评价

为提高驾驶人在双车道公路上超车的安全性,基于tau理论适应性分析,提出超车过程中驾驶人不仅根据tau线索估计避碰时间,也利用距离、速度、加速度等判断超车是否安全的试验假设。招募12名受试者,应用驾驶模拟系统试验平台,依据试验假设采集12个与超车行为有关的驾驶行为数据,对其进行无量纲化处理,并利用Bootstrap法对数据进行扩增。结合驾驶行为问卷得分,利用AMOS软件,建立超车行为安全评价的结构方程模型。通过对初始假设模型进行多次修正与评价,得到影响超车行为安全的3个驾驶行为参数。结果表明,超车车辆在超车并道后的速度、与前导车之间的避碰时间及与对向车辆之间的避碰时间这3个驾驶行为参数可作为超车行为安全评价的有效指标。     

冰雪道路环境对驾驶人视觉感知特性的影响

为预防冰雪道路环境中驾驶人因视觉感知错误引发交通事故,研究了冰雪道路环境对驾驶人视觉感知特性的影响,选择8名熟练驾驶人作为试验样本,且每2人一组,采用跟车调查的方法采集驾驶人对于自身感知车速和前导车车距的视觉感知信息,并利用非接触车速仪检测2辆跟驰行驶试验车的实际车速与车距,对冰雪条件与非冰雪条件下驾驶人的视觉感知信息进行分析对比。研究结果表明,在冰雪环境中驾驶人视觉感知车速比非冰雪环境中低5%～14%;但当2辆跟驰车辆前后车间距在50 m内时,驾驶人在冰雪环境与在非冰雪环境中行驶时,其视觉感知的车距无显著性差异。     

道路运营安全性评价方法与指标

笔者从道路交通设施系统客观安全性和道路用户主观安全性的角度,应用交通冲突分析技术、运行车速预测方法、行车动力学仿真分析[空间视距模型、人工神经网络(ANN)模型],研究并分析车辆在自由流和非自由流两种状态下运营安全性,提出跟驰风险指数、变换车道风险指数、高速行车风险指数,建立了服务于道路安全运营管理的道路交通设施系统及其运营安全性的分析评价方法和指标。     

交通事故发生规律与城市道路系统的规划设计研究

笔者分析了城市交通事故发生率与道路等级、道路断面形式、路网密度、交叉口形式、道路车速的关系及交通事故人群的分布规律,认为道路宽而稀、支路缺乏、街道功能不清是我国城市道路网与用地微观布局的基本特点。大量数据分析表明,这种路网体系与我国的城市交通事故率偏高有着密切关系。路网规划是城市路网建设的基本依据,笔者认为,应当将降低城市交通事故率作为路网规划的考虑内容之一,同时指出,应在路网规划中合理选择道路断面形式、交叉口形式,建议适度加密路网、健全支路体系、理清街道功能,并考虑城市道路的车速控制与驾驶心态调整。