Freeway alignment design is critical to traffic safety, and previous studies have revealed that traffic crashes are closely related to sharp curves and steep slopes. Alignment parameters directly affect a driver's mental workload, while driving workload can be reflected through driving performance. In order to measure the effects of freeway alignment parameters on speed, lane deviation, and heart rate variability, a simulated driving experiment was conducted. Descriptive statistics and variance analysis were used to estimate the effects, which indicated that radius significantly influenced drivers’ speed and lane deviation; the influence of slope grade on average speed and lane deviation was not statistically significant. Driving workload increased by horizontal radius decreasing on curves and increased with the increase of absolute slope grade on downslopes. Drivers tended to drive more cautiously in sharp curves or steep slopes, but driving experience affected the establishment of compensation strategy. The results have implications for traffic safety and alignment design.
Effects of Freeway Alignment on Driving Performance and Workload Based on Simulated Driving
17th COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals ; 2017 ; Shanghai, China
CICTP 2017 ; 4850-4860
2018-01-18
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Freeway illumination and driving performance
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