01663911

Component

This study investigates the effect(s) of level of service on driver’s behavior using a full-scale high-fidelity driving simulator. Over 50 participants are recruited to drive through six scenarios of level of services; A through F defined in the 6th edition of Highway Capacity Manual. The driving behavior of each participant for every tenth of a second is recorded. Descriptive analysis of the data obtained as well as single-factor ANOVA reveals that as LOS deteriorates from A to F, the number of times drivers push-down on the gas/throttle pedal and the number of times the brakes are fully engaged per mile increases, while, the average extent to which the throttle is pressed; the average throttle ratio, decreases. In addition, the number of lane changes per mile per available lane increases from LOS A to F. This is an indication of driver’s eagerness to escape traffic by changing to more freely-flowing lanes. Therefore, level of aggression in drivers increases with LOS progression from A to F.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB40 Standing Committee on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service.

18-03957

English

14p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References; Tables

Aggression; Analysis of variance; Automobile drivers; Automobile driving; Behavior; Descriptive statistics; Driving simulators; Lane changing; Level of service; Pedals

Highway Capacity Manual

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-03957

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 10:59AM