Examination and Modeling of Driver Behavior on Entrance Freeway Ramp Terminals Using Naturalistic Driving Study Data

This paper studies driver behavior on freeway entrance ramp terminals using trip data from the SHRP-2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) database from two different US states. The study included first a qualitative assessment of the driver speed behavior as they navigate the ramp and speed change lane (SCL). A trend of continuous vehicle acceleration was evident from the beginning of the ramp controlling curve that continued after merging onto the freeway right lane (FRL). It was also found that a portion of the drivers tend to merge onto the FRL on the taper after the SCL had ended, with this behavior being dominant on the taper-type SCL. Statistical tests showed that the driver behavior measures in general follow a normal distribution at each site. Tests of hypothesis examined the differences of different driver behavior measures on the study sites, and it was shown that the speed and acceleration behavior of the drivers differs on the different sites indicating that it depends on the complete set of geometric characteristics at the site. Linear-mixed models were developed for the speed and acceleration behavior measures to account for the repeated measures caused by repeated trips by the same drivers in the dataset.

• Record URL:
  https://annualmeeting.mytrb.org/OnlineProgram/Details/15557
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AKD10 Standing Committee on Performance Effects of Geometric Design.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Alyamani, Mohannad
  • Hassan, Yasser
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 100th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2021-1-5 to 2021-1-29
• Date: 2021

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 17p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceleration lanes; Behavior; Drivers; Freeways; Geometric design; On ramps; Operating speed; Speed change lanes
• Identifier Terms: Naturalistic Driving Study Database; SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01764445
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRBAM-21-01001
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 4 2021 4:48PM