Naturalistic lane-change filed data reduction, analysis and archiving : a comprehensive examination of naturalistic lane-changes

982082Final reportGoodman, MichaelTransferred from EDL on 5/14/2008PDFTech ReportFHWA-JPO-04-092DOT-HS-809-702Lane changingBehaviorData collectionCollision avoidance systemsField studiesUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationLee, Suzanne E.Olsen, Erik C. B., 1968-Wierwille, Walter W.Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Transportation InstituteUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-Collision Avoidance Systems (Vehicles)NTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Human FactorsIntelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program OfficeBTS Data DirectoryThis research effort provided valuable insight into the nature and severity of lane changes in a naturalistic driving environment. Sixteen commuters who normally drove more than 25 miles (40 km) in each direction participated. The two research vehicles were a sedan and a sport utility vehicle; each participant drove each vehicle for ten days. Data gathering was automatic, and no experimenter was present in the vehicle. There were 8,667 lane changes observed over 23,949 miles of driving, making this the largest known data collection effort for the study of lane changes. Analysis of the full data set resulted in many interesting findings regarding the frequency, duration, urgency, and severity of lane changes in regard to maneuver type, direction, and other classification variables. A subset of the full data set (500 lane changes) was then analyzed in greater depth using the sensor data collected by the instrumented vehicle. The sampled lane changes were generally of the more severe and urgent types since these are the cases in which a lane change collision avoidance system (CAS) is likely to be of greatest help. Variables analyzed for the sampled lane changes included turn signal use, braking behavior, steering behavior, eye glance patterns, and forward and rearward area analysis. The concept of a safety envelope for lane changes was then developed using the forward and rearward area analyses. Finally, the data were used to provide recommendations for designers of a lane change CAS in terms of display location and activation criteria. Overall, the research described in this report provides insight into the behaviors and parameters associated with lane changes, while the naturalistic data archive has the potential to address other questions related to driving behavior