01656621

Component

While adaptive signal control technology (ASCT) has long been investigated for its operational benefits, and to some extent for its crash reduction benefits, the impact of this technology on driver behavior and human factors is still uncertain. This study evaluated the impact of ASCT on driver behavior in terms of human factors (stress and fatigue) in a real-world environment. A total of 22 drivers travelled through two arterial corridors, one equipped with ASCT and the other having traditional time-of-day coordinated signals. Driver performance was evaluated based on observed differences in driving behavior and stress between the two corridors. Driver stress was measured using a heart rate variability detector and a perceived stress scale. Driver behavior was examined using vehicular trajectory data. Overall, driving performance improved on the ASCT as compared to the non-ASCT corridor. Repeated measures ANOVA showed a statistically significant reduction in driver heart rate by -10 beats per minute when the ASCT corridor was compared to the traditional corridor. A similar trend was observed for drivers’ perceived stress, where participants reported to be less stressed while driving over the adaptive signal corridor. Statistical significance was verified by Wilcoxon sign ranked test. Direction of travel (peak vs. off peak), familiarity with the test vehicle, and gender were also found to be significant factors correlated with the driver’s stress level. Driving behavior observed through vehicular speed and number of stops also showed significant improvement with ASCT presence, and speed was found to be negatively correlated with stress. This study provides a significant proof of concept that ASCT can create positive improvements in driver stress and behavior that can be further investigated in the future.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AND20 Standing Committee on User Information Systems.

18-01489

English

16p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References (17) ; Tables

Adaptive control; Behavior; Driver performance; Drivers; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Signalized intersections; Stress (Psychology); Traffic signal control systems

Highways; Safety and Human Factors

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-01489

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 10:23AM