Effect of changing driving conditions on driver behavior towards design of a safe and efficient traffic system.

PDFTech ReportSWUTC/13/600451-00103-1DTRT12-G-UTC06Work zone traffic controlTraffic signsTraffic densityBehaviorSimulationMerging trafficMerging areaBrakingWorkloadUnited StatesTexas A&M Transportation InstituteAghazadeh, FereydounLaura Hughes Ikuma,Sherif Ishak,Louisiana State University. Dept. of Civil and Environmental EngineeringGulf Coast Center for Evacuation and Transportation ResiliencyUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationSouthwest Region University Transportation Center (U.S.)US Transportation CollectionThis simulation-based study explores the effects of different work zone configurations, varying distancesbetween traffic signs, traffic density and individual differences on drivers\ue2\u20ac\u2122 behavior. Conventional LaneMerge (CLM) and Joint Lane Merge (JLM) were modeled in a driving simulator and thirty participants(seven female and 23 male students) navigated through the two configurations with two levels of trafficdensity and in three different conditions: a) standard sign distance, b) 25% reduction, and c) 25% increasein the distance between traffic signs in the advance warning zone. Information regarding travel time, speed,braking force and location of merge was collected through the simulator. Self-reported measures of mentaldemand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, frustration and total workload wererecorded from all participants by using the NASA TLX. The results show that, on average, driving throughthe JLM took 18.8% longer than the CLM. Moreover, no significant difference in speed was foundbetween the two merge configurations. However, the percent maximum braking force was34% lower in theJLM configuration. The comparison of two merge configurations with respect to the location of changinglanes suggest that overall, the JLM configuration encourages drivers to remain in the closed lane longer.The analysis of self-reported workload ratings shows that participants reported 15.3% lower total workloadand 18.8% higher performance when driving through the JLM. Moreover, mental demand, temporaldemand, effort and frustration were lower in JLM by 16.4%, 23.4%, 13.7% and 28%, respectively. In termsof self-reported workload, the JLM is more conducive to driving. In conclusion, the JLM outperforms theCLM