The representative design elements of the road geometric structure are longitudinal slope, horizontal curve radius, super elevation, and transition curve. According to the function of a road, the design standards of these elements is applied by diverse combinations of them. This study divided expressway into homogeneous segments based on longitudinal slope and horizontal curve radius. And then, data required for analysis were matched to each segment, and the safety performance function was built by using the established data. crash modification factors which can explain traffic accident exposure rate were calculated. When the threshold value of horizontal curve radius R=1,000 m was set to 1.0, the crash modification factors at R=300 m was calculated as 1.33, which means that the accident exposure rate is increased by 33%. When the threshold value of the longitudinal slope 0% was set to 1.0, the crash modification factors demonstrated that the accident exposure rate decreases on the upward slope and the accident exposure rate increases on the downward slope. The results of this study can be used as basic information in the design of expressway geometries during the improvement or the construction of expressways.
In the past, expressways focused on mobility. However, the paradigm of expressways fuction today has been changed from fast expressways to safe expressways as people's quality of living and consciousness level heightened. In 2012, 3,550 traffic accidents occurred on expressways and 371 people died. The fatality rate of traffic accidents on expressways is almost twice that on general national roads. This study developed accident forecast models (safety performance functions) based on the number of traffic accidents and traffic volumes on six major lines on expressways. It is difficult to forecast safety performance functions for each expressway line because the lines and the scales of expressways are different from each other; therefore, integrated safety performance functions of six lines were determined first, and the coefficients, which can correct the traffic accidents on each line, were calculated. It is believed that this study will contribute in the safer management of expressways by being used as basic information in the establishment of traffic safety strategies for each expressway line in prevention of traffic accidents. Moreover, more studies would be required in the future, which would suggest reliable accident forecasts by calculating correction coefficients by line through integrated models by groups dependent on the characteristics of each line.
Different from general roads, intersections are the points where roads having different geometric structure and traffic operation system are met, and thereby they have complicated road structure and environmental factors. Various changes in driving patterns such as collision between vehicles approaching from roads adjacent to intersections, sudden stop of vehicles upon stop sign, quick start upon green lights kept increasing traffic accidents. It is known that traffic accidents are mainly derived from human factors. This study, in order to find out factors affecting drivers' behaviors within intersections, measured physiological responses such as brain wave, sight, driving speed, and so on by using state-of-the-art measuring device. As to concentration brain wave at individual intersections, it was found out that brain wave of testes was higher at main Arterial and accident-prone intersections compared with that of subsidiary Arterial. In addition, it was detected that drivers' visual activity was widely distributed at accident-prone intersections, meaning that it enhanced cautious driving from nearby vehicles. As to major factors causing drivers' workloads, factors from nearby vehicles such as deceleration, acceleration, lane change of nearby vehicles appeared as direct factors causing drivers' workloads, clarifying that these factors were closely related to causes of traffic accidents at intersections. Results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for evaluation of safety at intersections in consideration of physiological response of drivers.
Entry and exits of the rest area are sections where designed speed can be rapidly change and also a weak traffic safety section. In addition, two tasks can be performed simultaneously at entry of the rest area, particularly searching for deceleration and parking spaces/parking sides etc. Thus, design criteria is required in order to procure the stability of accessed vehicle. In case of Korea, geometric structure design criteria of entry facilities, such as toll-gate, interchange, junction etc was established. However there are no presence in a detailed standards for geometric structure of the rest area which affiliated road facilities. In this study, Derive problems in regards to the entry of geometric structure of resting areas by utilizing a sight survey and an investigation research of traffic accidents. The survey was targeting 135 general service areas. After Classifying the design section of resting areas' entry as well as derive design elements on each section, a speed measurement by targeting entry of rest areas and car behavior surveys were performed, then each element's minimum standard was derived through the analyses. According to the speeds at the starting/end point of entrance connector road, the minimum length of the entrance connector road is decided as 40m using Slowing-down length formula and based on the driving pattern, the range of the junction setting angle of the entrance connector road is defined as 12 ~ 17 . Suggest improvement plans for existing rest areas that can be applied realistically. This should be corresponded to the standards of entry and exit of developed rest areas.
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