Effects of the Provision of Wide-Area Snowstorm Information on Winter Driving

Abstract

In Hokkaido, Japan, a system that provides road weather information to drivers is in operation and under further development. With regard to visibility in snowstorms, observation data collected at ground-level observation stations have been available, but not wide-area information on the distribution of visibilities. A method was developed to estimate visibility from the weather conditions, and it was applied to estimation of visibilities in a wide area. Such wide-area visibility information, together with snowfall information, was provided to road users on an experimental basis. Sixty percent of drivers who received this information changed their transportation behavior at some point, and more than 90% viewed the information as effective in increasing their sense of security. This finding confirmed that visibility information is valuable winter road information for drivers and that the visibility estimation method will be useful in providing wide-area visibility information.