DRIVER WORK LOAD FOR VARIOUS TURN RADII AND SPEEDS

The need exists for a method by which a highway designer can determine, during the design stage, whether a highway design will demand so much of a driver's attention that there is insufficient time to look for and avoid accidents. One aspect of attentional demand is tracking the lane in curves and tangent sections. A study was done to determine (by use of a secondary task) what percentage of a driver's attention is required to track a lane while various curves are negotiated at various speeds. In addition, data were gathered about how drivers control their lane position. Results indicated that lane tracking in a 17-deg turn demanded 26 percent of the subject's attention at 20 mph (32 km/h) and 42 percent at 40 mph (64 km/h) and that attentional demand in the straightaway remained around 23 percent for speeds from 40 to 80 mph (64 to 129 km/h). Lane-tracking data indicated that the median location was 5 in. (12 cm) to the left of the lane center in straightaways, 7 in. (18 cm) to the left in left turns, and 6 in. (15 cm) to the right in right turns. Distributions of drift distances from these three median locations were also determined.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1975/530/530-002.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=DRIVER+WORK+LOAD+FOR+VARIOUS+TURN+RADII+AND+SPEEDS&author=L.+McDonald&author=N.+Ellis&publication_year=1975
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Road User Characteristics. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • McDonald, L Bruce
  • Ellis, Newton C
• Conference:
  • 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia
  • Date: 1975-1-13 to 1975-1-17
• Publication Date: 1975

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 18-30
• Monograph Title: Driver performance studies
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 530
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attention value; Driver performance; Drivers; Highway curves; Highway design; Personnel performance; Reaction time; Turning radius; Turning traffic
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction; Turning movements
• Old TRIS Terms: Turning path
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00097204
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309023777
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 30 1975 12:00AM