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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <item>
      <title>Roadways behaviour monitoring system: speed enforcement at roadworks</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2427531</link>
      <description><![CDATA[While Queensland's Camera Detected Offence Program has contributed to reducing the rate of speed-related fatalities and serious injuries, speeding problems have persisted in school zones and roadworks, which both feature a high number of vulnerable road users and reduced roadside space for deployment of existing mobile speed cameras or road safety camera trailers. To address this issue, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) is working with a vendor and the Queensland Police Service to deliver the Roadways Behaviour Monitoring System (RBMS). This system uses lightweight speed camera technology deployed in specially designed flashing school zone signs at school zones, and converted Caterpillar excavators for roadworks.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2024 14:19:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2427531</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>A Driving Simulator Evaluation of Driver Distraction and Traffic Control Device Comprehension for At-Grade Railroad Crossings</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1593372</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of this research were to address the role that distraction has on the effectiveness of warning devices (crossbuck with flashing light) when the driver is performing a distracting task; and based on the evaluation of the warning configuration, determine a potential improvement to the current warning devices' configuration which can provide a greater level of awareness to the road user of the potential presence of a train. Both objectives were accomplished and important lessons were learned. A key takeaway from this research is that even when the flashers are properly working, if there is an obstruction (whether by vegetation or other factor) the driver may be in danger. Road geometry also plays a big part in driver safety, as crossings located on curves or multi-lane roads create complex situations for the driver to navigate. Dynamic pavement markings provide a cost effective and feasible alternative for alerting drivers of a grade crossing ahead. Even in situations where the driver does not look at the warning sign, and misses the flashers, the markings can add a layer of safety, particularly when a driver is distracted.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2019 11:44:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1593372</guid>
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      <title>Effectiveness of Stationary Police Vehicles with Blue Lights in Freeway Work Zones</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1513050</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Work zone safety affects both drivers and construction workers. Two main safety measures for reducing work zone crashes and their severity have been to reduce the vehicle speeds in work zones and to increase the separation between the vehicles and the workers. This project attempted to assess the effectiveness of deploying stationary police vehicles with flashing blue warning lights in freeway work zones. The effectiveness was evaluated based on (1) reductions in average vehicle speeds, (2) reductions in vehicle speeding, and (3) changes in vehicle lane use. Vehicle speed and lane use data were collected at two freeway work zones in Florida, including a static work zone on I-4 near Daytona Beach and a dynamic work zone on I-75 near Gainesville. Data were collected for two weeks prior to the deployment of a police vehicle, two weeks during which a police vehicle with flashing lights was stationed at the work zone, and two weeks following the removal of the police vehicle. For the static work zone on I-4 in which there was with 1-lane closure (out of three), it was found that the average speed within the work zone was reduced by 4.4 mph following the deployment of police vehicle, and by 1.4 mph following the removal of the police vehicle. The deployment of police vehicle was also found to reduce vehicle speeding by 20%. While the deployment of police vehicle with flashing lights was found to shift only a very small percentage of vehicles away from the work zone, the result was not considered reliable because it was skewed by a large percentage of vehicles that pre-positioned themselves for a downstream off-ramp exit. For the dynamic work zone on I-75 which included both 2-lane and 2.5-lane closures (out of three), it was found that the average speed within the work zone with 2-lane closure was reduced by 3.8 mph following the deployment of police vehicle, and by 2.7 mph following the removal of police vehicle. The deployment of police vehicle was also found to reduce vehicle speeding within the work zone by about 16%. In the case with 2.5-lane closure, the average speed within the work zone was reduced by 2.8 mph following the deployment of police vehicle, and by 3.1 mph following the removal of police vehicle. The latter result was not considered reliable as it was derived based on very limited data. The deployment of police vehicle with 2.5-lane closure was found to reduce vehicle speeding by 10%.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 May 2018 10:24:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1513050</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Exposure of Men to Intermittent Photic Stimulation under Simulated IFR Conditions</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1510940</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It seems clear from the literature that a variety of symptoms ranging from annoyance to grand mal seizures can be precipitated by flashing lights. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a group of normal young men showed any electroencephalographic changes during and following photic stimulation as it might occur in flight. The results obtained in this study are in general agreement with those in the literature that the primary response to photic stimulation by normal subjects is drowsiness. The strobe light was the most irritating of the three forms of stimulus used in this study. That property may be desirable since the purpose of these lights is to attract the attention of other pilots. In flight, the light would probably not affect the pilot of the aircraft on which it was mounted to the same extent that it did under the experimental circumstances.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2018 22:18:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1510940</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Visibility and Speed Estimation of Iowa State Highway Commission Snowplows</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1368558</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many accidents involving Iowa snowplows have happened in recent years. This study investigated the influence of time of day, sex of subject, type of snowplow sign and snowplow speed on the criteria of oncoming driver reaction time and his estimate of snowplow speed. Film strips were made of a car passing a snowplow under various experimental conditions. These experimental movie strips were viewed in the laboratory by college student drivers who were asked to indicate their reaction time to slow down and to estimate the speed of the snowplow being passed. The generally best sign condition for the snowplow was to have a striped rear sign and a speed-proportional flashing light in addition to the standard rotating beacon on top of the truck. Several recommendations were made.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2015 16:59:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1368558</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>On road tests of a speed limit of 30 km/h when passing a bus at standstill with a variable sign activated showing 30</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1250811</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In Sweden, some 400,000 children go by school bus every day, either by specially purchased buses or by public transport. Crash statistics show that the level of safety in the school bus system is generally high. The most risky situation is when the child is outside the bus waiting for, boarding or alighting the bus. As an effort to improve children&rsquo;s safety on their way to or from school the Swedish Government initiated an evaluation of a law requiring drivers of all vehicles to limit their speed to 30 km/h when passing a bus, standing still at a bus stop and marked with a 30 sign. The law should apply to vehicles on roads with a speed limit of 70 km/h or lower, approaching in any direction of the bus. The evaluation was a full scale test in one municipality in northern part of Sweden. All public buses and purchased buses (approx. 130 buses) in the municipality were equipped with flashing 30 signs as a reminder of the rule. The law was expected to reduce the risks for bus travellers, in particular children, to be struck by an oncoming vehicle when alighting or boarding the bus. The results showed that many motorists drove more slowly than before the rule was stipulated&ndash; even though not all of them reduced their speed right down to 30 km/h. The results also underline the need for a more holistic approach including a door to door perspective in order to guarantee the safety of children.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 10:42:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1250811</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Using a driving simulator to assess driver compliance at railway level crossings</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1138233</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Railway level crossings have the potential to bring motor vehicles and trains into fatal contact.  In Australia there are approximately 9,400 public railway level crossings across the country, protected either passively (64 per cent) or by active/automated systems (28 per cent).  Passive crossings provide only a stationary sign warning of the possibility of trains crossing.  Their message remains constant over time.  Active systems, by contrast, activate automatic warning devices (i.e., flashing lights, bells, barrier, etc.) as a train approaches.  Using a driving simulator, this paper compares driver compliance at railway level crossings equipped with either active or passive warning devices including a stop sign, rumble strips, flashing lights/bell and in-vehicle auditory warning.  This paper describes the driving simulator data collection and findings and subsequently draws conclusions on driver compliance with respect to different types of warning devices.  The results indicate that drivers behave differently and are more compliant at active crossings than at passive crossings.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 10:45:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1138233</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Driver behaviour at rail level crossings: Responses to flashing lights, traffic signals and stop signs in simulated rural driving</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1100569</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Australian road and railway authorities have made a concerted effort to reduce the number of rail level crossings, particularly the higher risk passive crossings that are protected by devices such as 'give way' or 'stop' signs. To improve this situation, passive level crossings are often upgraded with active controls such as flashing red lights. Traffic signals may provide good safety outcomes at level crossings but remain untested. The primary purpose of this research was to compare driver behaviour at two railway level crossings with active controls, flashing red lights and traffic signals, to behaviour at the current standard passive level crossing control, a stop sign. Participants drove the MUARC advanced driving simulator for 30 minutes. During the simulated drive, participants were exposed to three level crossing scenarios. Each scenario consisted of one of three level crossing control types, and was associated with an oncoming train. Mean vehicle speed on approach to the level crossings decreased more rapidly in response to flashing lights than to traffic signals. While speed on approach was lowest for the stop-sign condition, the number of non-compliant drivers (i.e., those who did not stop) at the crossing was highest for this condition. While results indicate that traffic signals at rail level crossings do not appear to offer any safety benefits over and above flashing red lights, further avenues of research are proposed to reach more definitive conclusions. Compliance was lowest for the passive crossing control which provides further support for the ongoing passive crossing upgrades in Australia.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 09:00:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1100569</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a model for improving safety in school zones</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1097098</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Child pedestrians are some of our most vulnerable road users and governments spend large amounts of money providing safe infrastructure to protect them.  The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority's Centre for Road Safety (CRS) recognised that a systematic needs-based allocation system for infrastructure funding could assist the prioritising and selection process for school zone safety remedial measures, and engaged ARRB to assist in the development of a research model to support this approach.  Literature on child-related and school zone factors contributing to crashes including child pedestrian casualty crash data in NSW was reviewed.  Crash data from the NSW Crashlink database and the Safety Around Schools database was analysed.  In consultation with the CRS, ARRB then developed a risk model to objectively prioritise school zone road environments in terms of risk to young pedestrians.  The model factors were: approach speed limit, peak hour pedestrian crossing volume and AADT, number of traffic lanes, on-street parking configuration, sight distance, the number of conflicting directions of traffic, speed management and pedestrian management schemes.  The CRS used the SchoolRisk model to firstly identify and then prioritise school zones to assist their decision making for the allocation of funding for flashing lights on school speed limit signs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:30:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1097098</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Motorist Actions at a Crosswalk With an In-Pavement Flashing Light System</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1084363</link>
      <description><![CDATA[An in-pavement flashing light system is used at crosswalks to alert motorists and pedestrians of possible conflicts and to influence their behavior to enhance safety. The relative behaviors of the drivers and the pedestrians affect safety. An evaluation of motorist behavior at a pedestrian crosswalk with an in-pavement flashing light system is presented in this manuscript. Field observations provide the basis to evaluate motorist behavior at a crosswalk with an in-pavement flashing light system. Outcomes of pedestrian and motorist actions were observed to quantify measures of effectiveness (MOEs) such as yielding behavior of motorists, vehicle speeds, and yielding distance from the crosswalk. A before-and-after study design was used. The before condition was prior to the activation of the in-pavement flashing light system and the after condition was after the activation of the in-pavement flashing light system. The study was conducted on a relatively low-volume roadway located in Henderson, Nevada. The significance of the differences in the MOEs between the 2 study periods was evaluated using statistical analysis tools such as a one-tailed test for proportions and the Welch-Satterthwaite t-test. The results show that the installation of the in-pavement flashing light system increased the yielding behavior of motorists significantly (P < 0.001). The vehicular speeds decreased when pedestrians were waiting at the curb to cross and when they were crossing (P < 0.001). Motorists yielded to pedestrians on an average about 3 m (~10 feet) upstream from the yield markings and the yielding distances were consistent in both directions. The in-pavement flashing light system is seen to be effective to improve motorists' yielding behavior and the speeds of vehicles were also observed to decrease in the presence of pedestrians.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:52:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1084363</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Review on In-pavement Flashing Warning Light System</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/924790</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Pedestrians have a right to use sidewalks and crosswalks and drivers have a right to drive through the road safely. Crosswalks are the conflict areas between vehicles and pedestrians. Most of the road collision fatalities are involved with pedestrians on crosswalks. Although a great deal of research has been done to prevent the crashes between vehicles and pedestrians, still pedestrian fatalities account for about 12 percent of all traffic fatalities (1). In 1991, after a pedestrian fatal collision at a crosswalk, the victim’s friend invented the new alternative of flashing lights to be installed on the pavement along the crosswalk to warn drivers approaching the crosswalk. In general drivers pay attention more to the flashing beacons that do not constantly flash. Flashing warning lights are good solution for the crossings around school locations that are not close to signalized intersections and for the locations with high elderly population. The system may also be a great tool for downtown areas or mid-block crossings at high pedestrian volume locations. The lights can be activated by different methods such as push buttons, ultrasonic detectors, video imaging, and bollards with infrared beams. Various types of in-pavement flashers in shape, color and functionality are in the market. In this study different issues of the in-pavement flashing warning light systems have been reviewed in terms of the engineering studies, standardization, reliability, installation and maintenance, climate, effectiveness, and warrants. Advantages and disadvantages of using this new system have also been reviewed.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:08:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/924790</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Smart Safe School Bus: a pilot study in Kristianstad</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/900925</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Some 400,000 children go to school by school bus in Sweden every day. The most risky situation is when the child is outside the bus entering or exiting, lack of routines being the major cause. The present study utilised off-the-shelf  technology, in order to create a driver support system that raises the level of  routines in school transportation and facilitates communication between the drivers and the children. Two buses, driven by seven drivers were equipped with the system during 2008, comprising data for 130 children. Moreover, two bus stops were equipped with flashing lights, triggered by radio transmitters that the children wore. The evaluations of the system showed that it does raise the level of routines and allows the drivers to survey the children in order to take  action in case of an emergency. The system has frequently been used in all its parts and been considered useful. Children reported feeling more secure with the  system and experienced less stress as a benefit of it. The average speed of cars has significantly been reduced by the flashing bus stops. For the cost of 0.5-2 SEK per school day and child, the system could prevent fatal injuries in school transportation, generating monetary benefits on a societal level.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:38:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/900925</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Reducing Work Zone Crashes by Using Vehicle’s Flashers as a Warning Sign</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/886094</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural two-lane highways constitute a large percentage of the highway system in Kansas. Preserving, expending, and enhancing these highways require the set-up of a large number of one-lane, two-way work zones where traffic safety has been a severe concern. Aimed at reducing the work zone crashes attributable to inattentive driving, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) initiated a research project to evaluate the effectiveness of a traffic warning sign that is assembled by using the emergency warning flashers of the vehicles in one-lane, two-way work zones. This warning sign was named as the Emergency Flasher Traffic Control Device (EFTCD). It works in the following fashion. When a vehicle entering a one-lane, two-way work zone where stopping is required for waiting to pass the work zone, the driver is required to turn on its emergency warning flashers to warn the following vehicles of the work zone stopping condition. The EFTCD is flexible and cost-effective and may particularly benefit those work zones that are frequently moved due to the construction progress. To accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed EFTCD, researchers conducted experiments in three one-lane, two-way work zones in Kansas including two with a 55-mph speed limit and one with a 65-mph speed limit. During the experimental period, researchers collected vehicle speed data with and without the EFTCD and surveyed drivers for their interpretation of this warning sign and recommendation on its potential implementation. Analyses of the results showed that the EFTCD effectively reduced the mean speeds in work zones as well as the proportions of notably high speeds. In addition, survey results indicated that the EFTCD successfully captured the attention of most drivers when they approached the work zones. A majority of drivers recommended the implementation of this warning sign in the work zones. Therefore, researchers concluded that the EFTCD was effective in one-lane, two-way work zones. Recommendations on future research were also presented based on the results of this study. The outcomes of this research project benefit not only Kansas, but also other States where rural two-lane highways constitute a high percentage of their highway systems.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:13:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/886094</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Perceptions of implied hazard for visual and auditory alerting signals</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/884240</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Visual and auditory alerts are increasingly important and have many applications, particularly in the presentation of hazard information in transportation and many industrial systems. This paper is concerned with the factors that govern the relative effectiveness of alerting signals involving various combinations of visual and auditory signals. The visual variables were colour, flash rate, and flash mode, combined with or without an auditory alarm. It was found that the subjects associated different levels of hazard with different alerting light colours, flash rates, flashing modes, and with combinations of auditory and visual alerts. A red flashing light was perceived as the most effective hazard warning colour, with yellow and blue warning lights indicative of less hazardous situations. The faster the flash rate, the greater is the hazard perceived. A flash rate of 60 fpm (flashes per minute) was not as effective as the rates of 180 and 240 fpm, and 240 fpm was the most effective. This implies that hazard warning signal should flash at well above 60 fpm. Having a breakup in the flashing pattern so as to provide a double or triple flash mode also increases the effectiveness of the signal. There were significant interactions between the alert variables used. The difference in perceived hazard levels for the colours blue and yellow were statistically non significant, but blue was more effective in conveying hazard message than yellow at the high flash rates. When accompanied with auditory alarms, blue and yellow were perceived to convey the same perception level of hazard as red without auditory alarms. The effect of colour on perceived hazard was also found to vary with flash mode. As compared to either visual signal alone or a visual signal with other types of acoustic alarms, a siren type of auditory alarm was found more effective for eliciting perception of hazards. There was evidence that presenting alerting signal in triple-flash mode and at high flash rate could be annoying and might not help improving hazard awareness.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:49:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/884240</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Ensuring the Safety of Our Children: A Report on School Bus Safety in Alberta</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/874592</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This report discusses a study investigating school bus safety in the province of Alberta, Canada.  The study looked at the cause of school bus accidents in recent years to ascertain what other measures might be taken to ensure greater school bus safety.  Countermeasures considered include making strobe lights mandatory, helping to develop consistent hiring criteria for school bus drivers, making the installation of amber flashing lights mandatory, retrofitting school buses with reflective tape, and making the school bus driver improvement program (the 'S' endorsement) mandatory within one year of school bus driver licensing.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:33:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/874592</guid>
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