Effects of Roadside Landscape Patterns on Driving Behavior: Ergonomic Response Study
Specific roadside landscape patterns are typically used to reduce travel speed and enhance highway safety. This paper aims at quantitatively analyzing the effect of three typical roadside landscape patterns on driving behavior and ergonomic response. This analysis was based on data collected in a driving simulator study. Specifically, vehicle-related data, physiological data and answers to supplemental questionnaire from test subjects were collected. Three landscape spatial patterns, namely “open,” “semi-open,” and “vertical,” were modeled in the driving simulator and were evaluated in the paper. Drivers’ ergonomic response to the three roadside landscape spatial patterns was extrapolated and quantified by critical time threshold intervals. Evaluation results show that trips completed under different landscape patterns resulted in different downward U-shaped driver behavior performance curves. Drivers tended to operate the vehicle at a higher speed, in larger lane deviation, and under a heavier stress when driving under the open landscape. On the other hand, the semi-open and vertical landscape pattern yielded lower driving speed, provided better visual guidance, and in turn relieved the driving stress significantly. Additionally, it was revealed that under all landscape patterns, driver’s response mechanism faded when the critical trip time curve reached its peak. The trip time threshold intervals tended to increase when the landscape pattern was switched to open, semi-open and vertical ones. The reliability and accuracy of the results was validated by analyzing the questionnaire responses. Findings from this research will assist practitioners in taking active environmental countermeasures based on the distinctive ergonomic responses pertaining to different roadside landscape patterns.
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFB10 Geometric Design.
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Zhao, Xia
- Wei, Zhonghua
- Li, Zhixia
- Rong, Jian
- Qiu, Congying
- Zhang, Tongyang
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Conference:
- Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting
- Location: Washington DC, United States
- Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
- Date: 2015
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 15p
- Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Behavior; Driver performance; Drivers; Ergonomics; Landscape design; Roadside flora; Stress (Psychology); Travel time
- Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01550574
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 15-2462
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Jan 26 2015 9:50AM