Studying freeway merging conflicts using virtual reality technology |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia;2. School of Transportation, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210096, China;1. College of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department University of Wasit, Kut, Iraq;2. Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 550 Stadium Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2051, USA;1. University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, 2195 Westlawn, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;2. Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, 145 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;3. Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, 145 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;4. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, 145 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;1. Glenn Department of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;2. Applied Statistics, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 USA;1. Alabama Transportation Institute, The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL, United States;2. Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL, United States |
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| Abstract: | Introduction: This research aims to investigate the perceptions and reactions of drivers regarding freeway merging situation, utilizing a new approach with the basis of a multilevel simulation platform which incorporates virtual reality (VR) technology. Methods: A VR driving environment integrated with traffic micro-simulation was developed to evaluate driving behaviors and the impact of merging decisions in terms of traffic conflicts. The driving experiments were conducted under a variety of circumstances, including varying traffic flows and the presence of ramp metering. The Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) was utilized to extract the number of conflicts from the micro-simulation results. Results: The final results indicated that the probability of conflict has a positive correlation with traffic flow, while conflict frequency at freeway merges is affected by the presence of ramp metering due to its potentiality to enhance driver decisions and reduce the drivers’ pressure when they make maneuvers. Practical Applications: The findings reveal that the proposed VR simulation platform is a useful tool to improve the safety of freeway merging. It has the potential to enhance driver skills and can also be used in the study of human–machine interaction. |
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| Keywords: | Merging conflicts Virtual reality Traffic micro-simulation Safety analysis |
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