In-Vehicle Decision Support to Reduce Crashes at Rural Thru-Stop Intersections

摘要

In 2002 there were 590 fatal traffic accidents in Minnesota, and an estimated 17 percent of these occurred at rural thru-stop intersections. A thru-stop intersection presents a challenge to a driver attempting to cross or enter the highway because he/she must stop at the stop sign and wait for a gap in highway traffic. If a driver misjudges whether a gap is large enough, a highspeed collision with highway traffic may result. Previous studies have developed a prototype decision support sign (often referred to as the Icon Sign) that is aware of highway traffic and warns drivers when it is not safe to cross. The driving simulator studies described in this report tested two in-vehicle decision support systems (DSSs) and compared them to the Icon Sign. The first in-vehicle system, called the Side Mirror Displays, consisted of two visual displays located on the vehicles side mirrors. The second system, called the Vibrotactile Seat, was a drivers seat with left and right vibrational pads. No system clearly outperformed the others in terms of promoting safer driving behavior, nor did any improve driving performance compared to the control condition (in which no DSS was present). The questionnaire and usability data showed that the Icon Sign was most preferred, with 50 percent of participants rating it as their top choice. The Icon Sign may have been preferred because drivers are more accustomed to gaining information from traffic signs and signals than from other systems. The Side Mirror Displays and Vibrotactile Seat were preferred nearly equally, with each rated as top choice by 25 percent of participants. The Side Mirror Displays were comprehended by 83.3 percent of participants, the Icon Sign by 62.5 percent, and the Vibrotactile Seat by 58.3 percent. The high comprehension rate for the Side Mirror Displays may have been due to the display continuously changing, giving the driver more opportunities to interpret the displays and deduce what information the displays were providing.