Comparison of Driver Behaviors between When Entering Railway Crossings with Flashing-Light Signals and When Entering Intersections with Traffic Control Signals

摘要

We assessed driver behavior when approaching a railway crossing at an onset of the warning and when approaching an intersection at the changing of the traffic light from green to yellow. In Japan, drivers should stop before entering a railway crossing even when any signals (flashing red lamps, bells, or gates) are not activated under the current traffic law. This paper investigated the impact of deregulating the presence of stop signs prior to entering railway crossings. Driving simulator experiments were carried out to collect behavior data when entering the railway crossing with a flashing-light signal and an automatic gate and when approaching the intersection with a traffic light. When the railway crossing warning (lights and bells) was presented to drivers, we evaluated the drivers’ perception of the current situation (subjective assessment), their decision-making in regard to whether to proceed through the crossing or stop (a combination of subjective and objective assessments), and their actual behavior (objective assessment). Driving behaviors were assessed on the basis of driving speed and the timings of presentation of the warnings. We compared driving behaviors at the beginning of the crossing warnings with the behaviors when traffic lights changed to yellow at an intersection. The results suggested that drivers used similar information, the distance to railway crossing or intersection and the speed of the driver’s vehicle, to make a decision to enter or to stop. In an optional zone where drivers could either pass through or stop beforehand, they made the decision to pass through the railway crossing more frequently than was the case at the signalized intersection. The drivers stopped inside the signalized intersection more frequently than inside the railway crossing due to the longer reaction time of the former. Finally, we discuss which factors might influence the difference of the driver behaviors between when encountering the railway crossing and the intersection.