01025981

Component

The goal of the research reported in this paper is to better understand driver behavior represented by onroad speed, acceleration, and deceleration events, and to enhance current assessment methods that employ average and the standard deviation values for accelerations and decelerations. Given the wealth of dynamic second-by-second speed and position data becoming available from GPS-instrumented vehicles, this study proposes new driver behavior assessment metrics that employ the durations of each driving operation mode and their dynamic ratios. Speed/acceleration behavior on the freeways is compared with that on arterials. The average values of accelerations on freeway are significantly lower than accelerations on arterials, and acceleration durations on freeways are longer than acceleration durations on arterials. The average values of decelerations on the freeways are also lower than decelerations on arterials, and deceleration durations on the freeway are longer than deceleration durations on arterials. Based upon the instrumented vehicle data examined in this study, most drivers gradually increase their speeds over a longer period of time at higher speeds and attempt to fully accelerate or decelerate for a relatively short periods at low speeds. Under low speed freeway conditions, such accelerations are constrained by traffic. The results of this study indicate that proposed metrics for durations of vehicle operating mode and their dynamic ratios can provide useful information about driver behavior on both the freeways and arterials. When these proposed time-based methods are used together with current evaluation methods, the metrics may prove useful in various transportation studies associated with roadway performance and safety. However, additional research will be required to further investigate how specific driver acceleration and deceleration behaviors, particularly at intersections and under congested conditions, affect risk.

01020180

06-2959

English

15p

2006

Transportation Research Board 85th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

Figures (7) ; References (6) ; Tables (5)

Behavior; Driver information systems; Driver vehicle interfaces; Drivers; Freeways; Global Positioning System; Highways; Speed; Vehicle characteristics

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2006 Paper #06-2959

TRIS, TRB

Mar 3 2006 11:10AM