Perceptual Measures to Influence Operating Speeds and Reduce Crashes at Rural Intersections: Driving Simulator Experiment

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate, by means of a dynamic driving simulator experiment, the behavior of road users at rural intersections in relation to perceptual measures designed for increasing hazard detection. In the experiment 10 configurations of tangents were tested: Alt1, base tangent; Alt2, four-leg base intersection; Alt3, intersection with reduced sight distance; and Alt4 through Alt10, intersections with perceptual treatments. The Virtual Environment for Road Safety high-fidelity dynamic-driving simulator, operating at the Technology Environment Safety Transport Road Safety Laboratory located in Naples, Italy, was used. Analysis of the results used two approaches: (a) explorative description of data by cluster analysis and (b) inferential procedures about population using statistical tests. Results showed that the speed behavior in the tangents was significantly affected by the presence of the intersections and by the perceptual treatments. Intersections without perceptual treatments significantly affected driver speeds in the 250 m preceding the intersection. Perceptual treatments helped the driver to detect the intersection earlier and to slow down. Dragon teeth markings, colored intersection area, and raised median island performed better than the other perceptual treatments. They produced significant average speed reduction in the 150 m preceding the intersection ranging between 16 km/h and 23 km/h. Study results support real-world implementation of perceptual measures in rural intersections because they are low-cost, fast implementation measures with a high potential to be cost-effective.

Effects of roadwork characteristics and drivers’ individual differences on speed preferences in a rural work zone

“…to induce a perception of higher driving speeds using a series of transverse stripes in or alongside the road. Two different simulator studies found that optical bars had an effect on drivers' speed choice (Ding et al, 2013;Montella et al, 2011). Different speedreducing treatments were tested in Montella et al (2011), and the most effective treatments were the "dragon teeth markings", which were based on the principle of visually narrowing the road width.…”

Approach to simulation assessment of area-wide traffic calming in the context of sustainable development

“…Montella et al [42] published also an extended research results with greater set of measures. Also Montella et al in [43] and [44] used the driving simulator for examining other solutions, on road links near intersections. Various scenarios of signing, road surface changes, median strips and refuge islands were introduced in the research.…”

Point-to-point speed enforcement systems: Speed limits design criteria and analysis of drivers’ compliance

“…Travelling at too high speed for the road environment is considered to be a major factor contributing to road crashes (Aarts and van Schagen, 2006;Hauer, 2009;Montella et al, 2010Montella et al, , 2011Neuman et al, 2009;OECD, 2006;Yannis et al, 2013). Speeding is not simply driving faster than the speed limit; it is also driving within the speed limits but too fast for the prevailing weather, light, traffic and road conditions (Montella et al, 2013;NHTSA, 2012 …”