SOME EFFECTS OF PAVEMENT EDGE LINES ON DRIVER BEHAVIOR

LATERAL VEHICULAR PLACEMENT, VEHICULAR SPEEDS AND DRIVER COMFORT WERE ANALYZED. TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR EVALUATING THESE EFFECTS, MEASUREMENTS OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED VARIABLES WERE MADE BEFORE AND AFTER PLACING EDGE LINES ON DESIGNATED TEST SECTIONS. THESE SECTIONS WERE ESTABLISHED ON RURAL, 2- WAY HIGHWAYS HAVING VARYING TRAFFIC VOLUMES, SURFACE TYPES AND ROADWAY WIDTHS. PLACEMENT MEASUREMENTS WERE MADE WITH THE USE OF AN ELECTRONIC PLACEMENT TAPE TOGETHER WITH A 20- PEN GRAPHIC RECORDER. SPEED MEASUREMENTS WERE MADE USING A RADAR SPEED METER. MEASUREMENTS OF DRIVER RESPONSES TO VARIOUS STIMULI (COMFORT LEVEL) WERE MADE USING A GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE RECORDER. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING THE STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES, ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND STUDENT'S "T" TEST. RESULTS INDICATE THAT VEHICLES GENERALLY TEND TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE CENTERLINE OF THE PAVEMENT AFTER APPLYING A 4 IN. EDGE LINE DURING FREE-MOVING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS (NO INTERFERENCE FROM OTHER VEHICLES). THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN AVERAGE PLACEMENT FOR FREE-MOVING CONDITIONS AT INDIVIDUAL LOCATIONS RANGED FROM NO DIFFERENCE TO 6 INCHES. ALTHOUGH THE DIFFERENCE IN PLACEMENT AFTER EDGE LINING WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, A DIFFERENCE THIS SMALL PROBABLY WOULD NOT INDICATE ANY PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN AVERAGE PLACEMENT WAS FOUND AFTER EDGE LINING WHEN THE OBSERVED VEHICLES WERE MEETING OPPOSING TRAFFIC WITHOUT THE INTERFERENCE OF LEADING, TRAILING OR PASSING VEHICLES. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN PLACEMENT UNDER THESE CONDITIONS RANGED FROM NO DIFFERENCE TO 4 IN. AT LOCATIONS WHERE A SUFFICIENT SAMPLE WAS AVAILABLE TO PRODUCE RELIABLE ESTIMATES OF AVERAGE PLACEMENT. EDGE LINES HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON AVERAGE VEHICULAR SPEEDS. THE RESULTS OF THE GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE ANALYSES WERE INCONCLUSIVE IN PROVING A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN DRIVER COMFORT AFTER EDGE LINING. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  https://spexternal.modot.mo.gov/sites/cm/CORDT/MCHRP69-10.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 44 Pp, 2 FiG, 22 TAB, 8 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  Missouri State Highway Commission

  State Highway Building
  Jefferson City, MO  United States  65101

  Bureau of Public Roads /US

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 1969-12

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis of variance; Before and after studies; Behavior; Drivers; Electronic equipment; Galvanic skin response; Highway traffic control; Lateral placement; Measurement; Pavements; Reaction time; Rural highways; Speed; Statistical analysis; Surfaces; T test; Test sections; Traffic volume; Vehicles; Width
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction; Edges
• Old TRIS Terms: Electronics (Traffic); Lines
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pavements; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225660
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jun 22 1970 12:00AM