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. 2022 Jan 30;19(3):1590.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031590.

Drivers' Decelerating Behaviors in Expressway Accident Segments under Different Speed Limit Schemes

Wenhui Zhang  1 , Jing Yi  1 , Ge Zhou  1 , Tuo Liu  1
Affiliations

Drivers' Decelerating Behaviors in Expressway Accident Segments under Different Speed Limit Schemes

Wenhui Zhang et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Traffic accidents occurring on expressways tend to give rise to traffic bottlenecks. To ensure the vehicles safely and smoothly pass through the accident segments, speed limits are generally taken to regulate the vehicles' movements. This study aims to explore the decelerating behaviors of drivers under different speed limit schemes. We designed traffic accident scenarios under four speed limit schemes using the driving simulator. A total of 60 subjects drove the simulator passing the accident segments according to their habits. The vehicles' kinematic data and the subjects' operating data were recorded. To further analyze the drivers' decelerating behaviors in different speed limit scenarios, driving experience was also taken into account. The results show that the speed limit schemes have significant effects on drivers' decelerating behaviors. The more speed limit signs there are, the smoother the decelerating process will be. Driving experience significantly affects some of the decelerating parameters, including the location of deceleration starting point, average deceleration, and locations of decelerating to the initial and final speed limits. These results provide a theoretical basis for traffic safety and driving behavior management.

Keywords: decelerating behavior; driving simulator; speed limit schemes; traffic accident segments.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Driving simulator: (a) 6-DOF driving simulator; (b) the scenario of driving simulating software.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Four experimental scenarios: (a) Scenario 1; (b) Scenario 2; (c) Scenario 3; (d) Scenario 4.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Four experimental scenarios: (a) Scenario 1; (b) Scenario 2; (c) Scenario 3; (d) Scenario 4.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Experimental flowchart.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Driver’s decelerating process (Scenario 3).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Changes in speed of vehicles passing through the accident segment: (a) Scenario 1; (b) Scenario 2; (c) Scenario 3; (d) Scenario 4.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Speed at the deceleration starting points under different scenarios and driving experience.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Location of the deceleration starting point under different scenarios and driving experience.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Acceleration curves during decelerating process.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Distribution of the average deceleration for experienced and novice drivers.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Distribution of the location of decelerating to the initial speed limit in different scenarios.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Location of decelerating to the initial speed limit under different scenarios and driving experience.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Distribution of the location of decelerating to the final speed limit in different scenarios.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Location of decelerating to the final speed limit under different scenarios and driving experience.
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