LIGHTED GUIDANCE DEVICES: INTELLIGENT WORK ZONE TRAFFIC CONTROL. ENVIRONMENTAL MODULATION OF DRIVERS' PERCEPTION OF VEHICLE SPEED

Annually, thousands of highway workers risk serious injury and death from drivers who enter work zones too fast or accelerate after entering the zone and then, because of their excess speed relative to the environmental limitations, have insufficient time to avoid accidents in the zone. Slow-moving vehicles are a problem in reducing traffic flow. This research investigated the effectiveness of a system of pulsing lights, that give the illusion of movement (Phi phenomenon), in causing drivers to unknowingly synchronize their vehicle speed with the light pulses. Forty drivers participated: 20 young (10 female, 10 male; 21-42 years) and 20 older adults (10 female, 10 male; 55-87 years). Each participant made 15 passes through the work zone: a control pass with stationary white lights, two control passes with no lights, and 12 passes of test conditions -- 2 colors (red & green) x 3 apparent pulse speeds (-80, 0, & +80 mph) x 2 zone entry speeds (40 & 70 mph). Age, sex, and zone entry speed differences were found, but overall, (1) backward moving lights (-80 mph) caused drivers to reduce their vehicle speed, (2) forward moving lights (+80 mph) caused drivers to increase their vehicle speed; (3) stationary light and control lights had little or no effect, and (4) green produced stronger effects than red. Backward moving lights caused the greatest slowing in the young while forward moving lights caused the greatest acceleration in the older males and young females.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

  HumanFIRST Program, 111 Church Street, SE
  Minneapolis, MN  United States  55455

  Minnesota Department of Transportation

  395 John Ireland Boulevard
  St Paul, MN  United States  55155
• Authors:
  • Vercruyssen, M
  • Williams, G
  • Wade, M G
• Publication Date: 1995-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 133 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Gender; Human factors; Human subject testing; Lighting; Longitudinal control; Measures of effectiveness; Motion perception; Motor vehicles; Speed; Traffic speed; Velocity perception; Work zone traffic control
• Uncontrolled Terms: Age factors; Effectiveness
• Old TRIS Terms: Lighted guidance devices; Pulsing lights
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00725556
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MN/RC-96/05, Final Report
• Contract Numbers: 71275 TOC #124
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 12 1996 12:00AM