Development of Prototype Driver Models for Highway Design: Research Update

007648211999PDFResearch PaperFHWA-RD-99-069Highway designTwo lane highwaysRural highwaysHighway safetyHighway factors in accidentsComputer modelsTraffic modelsTraffic simulationGeometric designDriver Performance ModelDriver behaviorInteractive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM)Traffic Analysis ModuleUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationTurner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. Office of Engineering Research and DelevopmentNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATIONNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-DesignNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Human FactorsNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Highway SafetyFederal Highway AdministrationOne of the high-priority research areas of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is the development of the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM). The goal of the IHSDM research program is to develop a systematic approach that will allow highway designers to explicitly consider the safety implications of design decisions from the planning stage through the final design stage. Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) is composed of a suite of evaluation tools for assessing the safety implications of geometric design decisions. The development of IHSDM is a long-term, multi-year activity. The initial development efforts are restricted to two-lane rural highways -- the largest single class of highways in the U.S., representing approximately two-thirds of all Federal-aid highways. Release of the full model for two-lane rural highways is scheduled for 2002. As currently envisioned, the IHSDM will consist of five modules: Policy Review Module; Accident Analysis Module; Design Consistency Module; Traffic Analysis Module; and Driver/Vehicle Module. The focus of this Research Update is the driver-centered research being performed to support IHSDM. This research includes the development of the Driver Performance Model (one of the Driver/Vehicle Module models) and modifications to the Traffic Analysis Module to improve its representation of driver behavior in traffic. 4 p