Understanding the Effects of Pavement Marking Treatments on Night Driving Behavior and Safety

An experiment is being undertaken by theFederal Highway Administration (FHWA) to determine if the ability to capture extensive amounts of driver performance data can provide the basis for understanding the effects of various pavement marking treatments on driver behavior and ultimately road safety. The experiment involves field studies and subject testing in a driving simulator. A real section of road was used for the field studies and then later modeled in detail for the simulator studies. Pavement marking treatments included varying the brightness of lines, use of centerlines only, centerlines and edgelines, and supplemental warning markings (i.e., horizontal signing) and raised pavement marker. A group of driver varying in age and gender drove the same section of road several times over a period of two weeks during which the pavement markings treatments at various sections of the road were altered. The subjects drove a vehicle that was instrumented to capture lane position, speed, and subjective reactions. Data was gathered every tenth of a second over the course. The data are being analyzed to note significant deviations and map these both in time and spatially to other data describing road features and pavement marking treatments. Similar experiments are planned for a larger pool of subjects in the driving simulator. It is expected that the research will yield insights into means to convey guidance and warning information to drivers in a cost effective manner. Such insights are expected to be valuable in the US and other parts of the world.

• Corporate Authors:

  Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)

  Linköping,   Sweden  SE-581 95
• Authors:
  • Opiela, Kenneth S
  • Molino, John
  • Donnell, Eric T
  • Moyer, M Joseph
• Conference:
  • Road Safety on Four Continents: 13th International Conference
  • Location: Warsaw , Poland
  • Date: 2005-10-5 to 2005-10-7
• Publication Date: 2005-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: Road Safety on Four Continents, Warsaw, Poland, 5-7 October 2005, Conference Proceedings

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Highway safety; Night visibility; Pavements; Raised road markings; Road markings; Traffic control devices; Traffic safety; Visibility
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01091462
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 23 2008 9:24AM