Drivers’ Behavior Analysis Under Reduced Visibility Conditions Using a Driving Simulator

This study analyzes drivers’ behavior under foggy conditions using a driving simulator to find the factors affecting speed reduction. A 400-square-kilometer road network southwest of the Baltimore metro area is used for the driving simulator based on an analysis with over 100 participants. Off-peak traffic conditions were simulated to observe solely the effects of fog on drivers’ behavior. The participants’ speeds before entering the fog area, during the fog area, and after the fog area are compared using t-test, and the factors affecting speed variances are studied using a multinomial logistic model. The results illustrate that a significant difference in average speeds occurs before the onset of fog and after the onset of fog. However, when it comes to the comparison of average speeds during the fog and after the fog area, the difference in average speed is trivial. Thus the fog accounted for the reduction of speed before it was encountered, but in its aftermath the speeds were below expectations. The correlation test shows that drivers’ characteristics such as age, gender, household size, and work status turn out to be significantly associated with speed variations. The results from a multinomial logistic model indicate that, among all the variables, only gender has a close relationship with speed variation. It reveals that reduction of speed due to fog is more prevalent among women than men.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AH010 Standing Committee on Surface Transportation Weather.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Jeihani, Mansoureh
  • Jarju, Alasan
  • Scruggs, Jeffrey
  • Chavis, Celeste N
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2016-1-10 to 2016-1-14
• Date: 2016

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12p
• Monograph Title: TRB 95th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Demographics; Drivers; Fog; Gender; Simulation; Speed
• Geographic Terms: Baltimore (Maryland)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01590041
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 16-3570
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 9 2016 9:18AM