Proactive Evaluation of Traffic Signs Using a Traffic Sign Simulator
Traffic signs and pavement markings are a crucial aspect of road design since they are essential sources of information for road users to calibrate their driving behavior, evaluate route possibilities and cope with unexpected events. A proactive evaluation of (the quality of) these road design elements will help to improve the safety performance of the roadway. This paper presents the Traffic Sign Simulator, an innovative research tool to study the influence of these elements on road users’ routing decisions, lane choice and visual behavior, to investigate road users’ comprehension of these signs, and to collect suggestions for improvements. Using a driving simulator mock-up, participants navigate through a full HD video from route(s) in which the planned traffic signs have been digitally implemented using specialized software for camera-tracking and 3D video-integration. Participants’ route and lane choice and their visual behavior (using eye-tracking) are monitored while driving through the scenario(s). Laptop pre- and post-tests are applied to collect additional in-depth information concerning the participants’ processing, comprehension and general evaluation of the traffic signs and suggestions for improvement. The paper illustrates the possibilities of the Traffic Sign Simulator with a case study that examined the effectiveness of temporary work zone signalization (i.e., traffic signs, digital information panels and pavement markings) as it was used during the reconstruction works on the Vilvoorde fly-over near Brussels, one of the busiest interchanges in the Belgian motorway network.
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB50 Traffic Control Devices.
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- De Ceunynck, Tim
- Ariën, Caroline
- Brijs, Kris
- Brijs, Tom
- Van Vlierden, Karin
- Kuppens, Johan
- Van Der Linden, Max
- Wets, Geert
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Conference:
- Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
- Location: Washington DC
- Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
- Date: 2014
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 16p
- Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Design; Driving simulators; Road markings; Traffic safety; Traffic signs
- Geographic Terms: Brussels (Belgium)
- Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01517562
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 14-1999
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Mar 10 2014 9:24AM