Use of Traffic Simulators to Determine Driver Response to Work Zone Configurations

Abstract

Improving work zone road safety is an issue of great interest due to the high number of crashes observed in work zones. Departments of Transportation (DOTs) use a variety of methods to inform drivers of upcoming work zones. One method used by DOTs is work zone signage configuration. It is necessary to evaluate the efficiency of different configurations, by law, before implementation of new signage designs that deviate from national standards. This research presents a driving simulator based study, funded by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) that evaluates a driver's response to work zone sign configurations. This study has compared the Conventional Lane Merge (CLM) configurations against MoDOT's alternate configurations. Study participants within target populations, chosen to represent a range of Missouri drivers, have attempted four work zone configurations, as part of a driving simulator experience. The test scenarios simulated both right and left work zone lane closures for both the CLM and MoDOT alternatives. Travel time was measured against demographic characteristics of test driver populations. Statistical data analysis was used to investigate the efficiency of different configurations employed in the study. The results of this study were compared to results from a previous MoDOT study.

Meeting Name

International Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management, ASEM 2015 (2015: Oct. 7-10, Indianapolis, MN)

Department(s)

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Second Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Conventional Lane Merge; Driving Simulator; Travel Path; Work Zone Configuration; Automobile Simulators; Efficiency; Motor Transportation; Travel Time; Vehicle Actuated Signals; Demographic Characteristics; Departments Of Transportations; Statistical Data Analysis; Ravel Path; Work Zones

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-151081602-2

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2015 American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Oct 2015

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