Older Drivers and Roundabouts: Assessing Traffic Control Feature Characteristics Through the Use of Focus Groups and Structured Interviews

The use of modern roundabouts in the United States is steadily growing. This growth can be attributed to the improved flow provided by the modern roundabout and the associated general improvement in safety compared to conventional intersections. This study focuses on the perceptions and needs of older drivers as it relates to traffic control features at modern roundabouts and introduces a new approach to the evaluation and pre-testing of traffic control features through the use of focus groups and structured interviews. The research team identified elements of the design and operations of the roundabout that can be problematic for older drivers through the use of a literature review and focus groups. A subset of these elements were covered in structured interviews that allowed the researchers to develop recommendations for specific traffic control features to improve driver comfort, confidence and perceived safety. The approach followed in this study is unique, using both focus groups and structured interviews. The team found that the focus groups and structured interviews were successful in providing valuable feedback from the users itself. Based on the results from this study, it is recommended that new traffic control measures be tested similarly to ensure that drivers understand the measures, and that it meets the needs of drivers and/or other road users.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • van Schalkwyk, Ida
  • Lord, Dominique
  • Chrysler, Susan T
  • Staplin, Loren
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2007-1-21 to 2007-1-25
• Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p
• Monograph Title: TRB 86th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers CD-ROM

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Comfort; Drivers; Focus groups; High risk drivers; Highway safety; Intersections; Interviewing; Operations; Roundabouts; Traffic control; Traffic control devices; Traffic flow
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01049536
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 07-0786
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 8 2007 5:22PM