The effects of changes in driver perception on rural curve negotiation∗

Abstract

When the driver's limited perspective view of a curve differs significantly from the‘bird's-eye’ view of that curve, he or she is likely to misperceive its demands. In this study an innovative sign and modifications presumed to affect the driver's perception of curvature, road width, and his or her own speed were applied to rural curves with high accident rates. Approach speeds of regular road users and the visual search patterns of test drivers were measured before and after modifications. The results indicated that (1) the innovative sign had little effect on road users' approach speed and on test drivers' visual scanning; (2) modifications yielding an increase in the perceived angle of the curve, narrowing of the road, and increased speed perception had significant, but different, effects on drivers' approach speed, and on selected visual search parameters; (3) the effects on road users' speed were limited to the sites of the test curves and did not extend to the sites of following curves; and (4) in two of the three modification sites they dissipated within thirty days. It is concluded that perceptual modifications may be an effective tool to affect the behaviour of transient drivers unfamiliar with the high accident curves.

Notes

∗Supported by funds from the Federal Highway Administration and the Ohio Department of Transportation to project EES 428, the Ohio Slate University.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David SHINAR†

Requests for reprints should be sent to David Shinar, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.

JOSEPH A. MALECKI‡

This work was performed while J. Malecki was a graduate student at the Ohio State University.