For decades researchers have been pointing out significant differences in the driving behavior between young and old and between male and female drivers. There are many studies concerning age and gender differences in risk perception, traffic accident involvement, traffic violations, alcohol consumption, and risky driving. However, little effort has been focused on studying the behavioral differences in overtaking maneuvers on two-lane highways. A considerable percentage of the fatal accidents on two-lane highways is directly related to overtaking maneuvers. Therefore, the main focus of this study is to understand better the overtaking behavior of different drivers classified by their age and gender. Data on the overtaking behavior of 100 drivers were collected with an interactive driving simulator. Several scenarios of two-lane rural highways with different geometric and traffic conditions were developed. The results show interesting and significant differences in the overtaking behavior of drivers depending on their age and gender. These differences are mainly in the frequency of overtaking maneuvers, overtaking time duration, following distances, critical overtaking gaps, and desired driving speeds. Geometric and traffic conditions were also found to have a significant impact on drivers’ overtaking behavior. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the overtaking behavior of different groups of drivers and thus have implications for road safety intervention programs and the development of effective risk reduction strategies adapted and targeted for different age and gender groups.


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    Title :

    Age and Gender Differences in Overtaking Maneuvers on Two-Lane Rural Highways


    Additional title:

    Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2011-01-01




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English