Drivers’ Workloads through the Driving Vehicle Test at Intersections

Abstract

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.