Abstract:
Rumble strips (RS) are a countermeasure used to reduce roadway-departure crashes by providing audible and haptic alerts to the driver when a vehicle is departing the roadway. This study evaluated the feasibility of using sinusoidal RS as a substitute for more traditional rounded RS. A van, a passenger car, and a heavy vehicle were equipped with sound and vibration sensors to measure the interior noise and haptic feedback of each RS design. A set of typical conditions (with interior climate control fan and radio turned on) were also tested. Data from 75 RS strikes were analyzed. Experimental results demonstrated that the rounded RS doubled interior noise for the passenger car and van (11.3 dBA, 10.0 dBA) but the sinusoidal RS also generated a clearly noticeable interior alert for the passenger car and van (5.8 dBA, 4.6 dBA). The haptic alert provided an increase over the human perception threshold of vibration for all vehicles. The sinusoidal RS interior alert was detectable and within the acceptable range, but not clearly noticeable (5 dBA) when the climate control and radio were active. Alert levels for the rounded RS were >10 dBA, doubling the amount of interior noise for all ambient factor groups (11.2–14.4 dBA).
