Evaluation of Driver Comprehension and Visual Attention of the Flashing Yellow Arrow Display for Permissive Right Turns

Abstract

This research explored driver comprehension and behaviors in Oregon with respect to right-turn signal displays focusing on the Flashing Yellow Arrow (FYA) in a driving simulator. A counterbalanced, factorial design was chosen to explore three independent variables: signal indication type and active display, length of the right-turn bay, and presence of pedestrians. Driver decision-making and visual attention were considered. Data were obtained from 46 participants (21 women, 25 men) turning right 736 times in 16 experimental scenarios. A Mixed-effects Ordered Probit Model and a Linear mixed model were used to examine the influence of driver demographics on observed performance. Results suggest that the FYA indication improves driver comprehension and behavioral responses to the permissive right-turn condition. When presented with the FYA indication in the presence of pedestrians, nearly all drivers exhibited caution while turning and yielding to pedestrians and stopping when necessary. For the same turning maneuver, drivers presented with a circular green (CG) indication were less likely to exhibit correct behavior. At least for Oregon drivers, another clear finding was a general lack of understanding of the steady red arrow (SRA) display for right turns. Most drivers assume the SRA indication requires a different response than the circular red (CR) and remain stopped during the entire red interval, thus resulting in efficiency losses. These findings suggest that transportation agencies could potentially improve driver yielding behavior and pedestrian safety at signalized intersections with high volumes of permissive right turns from exclusive right-turn lanes by using the FYA display in lieu of a steady CG display.

Experimental Investigation into Driver Behavior along Curved and Parallel Diverging Terminals of Exit Interchange Ramps

“…With the data resulting from several repeated measurements, a series of linear mixed-effect models (LMMs) was calibrated to determine the factors which contributed to the drivers' longitudinal and transversal behavioral outputs. An LMM includes both fixed and random effects, and can make a better prediction of the degree to which the experimental outputs depend on covariates and clustered variables (21)(22)(23). In all models, the fixed effects of geometric (R, L t , and CT) and operating (V) variables, and the random effects of subject ID, age, and gender were accounted for.…”

Systemic Opportunities to Improve Older Pedestrian Safety: Merging Crash Data Analysis and a Stakeholder Workshop

“…This countermeasure also improves older driver safety by reducing their cognitive load. If permissive left-turns are used, adding a flashing yellow arrow indication for right turns can improve driver comprehension and behavioral responses in the presence of pedestrians ( 38 ). Slowing down left-turning vehicles may be another strategy to improve pedestrian safety.…”

A Variable Rate Drip Irrigation Prototype for Precision Irrigation

“…The interaction terms between the independent variables were also investigated. In the case of statistically significant effects, custom post hoc contrasts were performed for multiple comparisons using Tukey's HSD test [17]. Figure 6 plots the mean of water volume (cm 3 ) at each level of design, pressure, and time, as well as pairwise comparisons.…”