LIGHTED GUIDANCE DEVICES: ENVIRONMENTAL MODULATION OF DRIVING BEHAVIOR THROUGH WORK ZONES

Vehicles traveling too fast or too slow through work zones cause traffic flow problems and present a risk to the safety of all those occupying the work area. Conventional signage has been unsuccessful at regulating flow. This research investigated the effectiveness of prototype lighted guidance devices (LGDs) in a virtual environment that manipulated optical flow and environmental clues to covertly influence drivers' perception of velocity and thereby indirectly modulate vehicle speed. LGDs were predicted to slow the speed of vehicles entering the zone faster than a criterion speed and raise the speed of vehicles entering the zone slower than the criterion speed. Experiment 1 examined the effects of driver age, driver sex, light pulse characteristics, speedometer feedback, and vehicle location within the work zone. Despite age and sex differences, 24 drivers showed vehicle acceleration throughout the work zone associated with forward pulsing lights compared to control conditions. Experiment 2 investigated the effects of driver sex, light pulse direction, light color, zone entry speed, and location within the zone on vehicle speed and lane tracking for 24 drivers. Results replicated those of the first experiment showing vehicle acceleration to forward pulses and slowing to backward pulses plus a slight advantage of green lights compared to red and white lights. Without explicit instructions or signage, LGDs can affect driver perception and modulate actual vehicle speed: green light atop jersey barriers pulsed in a forward direction at 11 m/s (25 mph) or faster increases the speed of vehicles entering the zone at 18 m/s (40 mph) or less and backward pulsing lights at 22 m/s (50 mph) or faster decrease the speed of vehicles entering the zone at 31 m/s (70 mph). This information helps in the development of algorithms for servo-regulation of LGDs via monitoring of information coming from road sensors.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Five volumes of papers and one volume of abstracts comprise the published set of conference materials.
• Corporate Authors:

  VERTIS

  TORANOMOM 34 MORI BUILDING 1-25-5
  TORANOMON, MINATOKU, TOKYO 105  Japan 
• Authors:
  • Vercruyssen, M
  • Hancock, P A
  • Knecht, W
  • Olofinboba, O
  • Chrysler, S
  • Williams, G
  • May, D
  • Newell, R
• Conference:
  • Steps Forward. Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress
  • Location: Yokohama, Japan
  • Date: 1995-11-9 to 1995-11-11
• Publication Date: 1995-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 1199

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Drivers; Guidance systems (Aircraft); Intelligent transportation systems; Motor vehicles; Navigation lights; Perception; Prototypes; Pulse modulation; Speed; Traffic flow; Traffic speed; Velocity; Work area
• Uncontrolled Terms: Guidance systems
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver perception; Light signals; Pulse modulated control
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00722061
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Volume 3
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 26 1996 12:00AM