The influence of environmental factors on speed choice

Abstract

Speed and homogeneity of speed are important factors for safe and sustainable traffic. Lower speeds and more homogeneous speeds are safer and cause less pollution. Speed behavior is influenced by environmental factors as well as by personal factors. Understanding the relation between speed behaviour and the influencing factors offers clues for appropriate countermeasures against inappropriate and excessive speed.This study investigates the relation between speed and environmental factors for single lane rural roads, one of the most hazardous road types in the Netherlands. The study uses data from two provincial road authorities. Data consists of speed data from loop detectors, road design characteristics, characteristics of the road environment, and police enforcement. The first objective of this study is to validate the outcomes of earlier studies reported in literature, such as photograph studies and self reported speed behaviour studies. In this study, the influence of the same external factors on percentile speed measures and homogeneity measures from speed loops are investigated. A second objective is to refine the credibility models by adding external factors, if relevant. The results of this study replicate some of the results that were found earlier, but not all. No additional factors were found; results and consequences will be discussed.

Speeding and Speed Modification of Older Drivers: Does Vehicle Type Make a Difference?

“…Older drivers have reported feeling pressured to go with the flow of the traffic rather than remaining at or below the speed limit, even while having a special device in their vehicle that warned them about their speeding (Porter & Ash, 2008). Homogeneity of speed across all drivers on a specific roadway is important for safety, with large differences between speeds of vehicles creating a safety hazard (Aarts et al, 2011), so there is logic in their speed choices if almost everyone else is speeding (European Conference of Ministers of Transport, 2006;Feng, 2001).…”

“…Enforcement as well as various road features (e.g., width, surface, number of lanes, straightness, proximity of trees, etc.) may also influence speeding behaviour (Aarts, Brandenburg, & Van Nes, 2011).…”

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

“…Furthermore, the perceived task demand is not equal for all drivers. Aarts et al (2011) found that speed percentiles were less homogeneous on narrowed roads, and narrower work zone lanes were also associated with increased ratings of stress and difficulty and were pointed out by drivers as one of the factors that make for difficult driving in work zones (Petzoldt et al, 2016). According to Fuller (2005), when a task demand exceeds the driver's perceived capability, the driver will probably be unable to avoid an obstacle or stop in time.…”