Selection of Representative Crossings Database for the Evaluation of Driver Behavior Over Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Modeste Muhire ◽  
Pasi Lautala ◽  
David Nelson ◽  
Aaron Dean
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Naturalistic Driving Study ◽  
Grade Crossing ◽  
Naturalistic Driving ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Selection Of

While the literature suggests that driver behavior is the main cause of most of highway-rail grade crossing crashes, it has proven to be a challenging area for research. The SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) opened a window of opportunity to make a systematic analysis of the phenomenon because it includes an in-vehicle direct observation of the drivers. The first step in the analysis was the selection process of approximately 300 representative crossings for analysis from over 1,000 crossings included in the NDS. In order to allow the analysis of driver behavior in various environments, the selected set was comprised of different types of crossings. Key parameters that were considered are the types of crossings based on the installed traffic control devices, the configuration of nearby intersections, and the number of accidents that took place at the crossing in recent years. From a statistical standpoint, each group must have a size large enough to generalize the observed conclusions across other crossings with similar characteristics. In addition to NDS, resources such as the FRA accident database, the FRA crossings inventory, and Google-Maps were used in order to determine the crossings that fit the selection criteria. In future steps of the project evaluation of driver behavior over selected crossings is expected to help identify patterns that carry high risk for highway-rail crossing accidents.

Human Behavior at Railroad Grade Crossings

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sampath Kadiyala ◽  
Phani Gubbala ◽  
Steven D. Schrock
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Specific Sign ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Grade Crossings ◽  
Common Sign ◽  
Comprehensive Study

A comprehensive study is needed to address the human behavior at railroad grade crossings. Human behavior at different signs changes and it may lead to crashes. No guidance is provided in the recommendations provided by Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices where and when different type of signs and different combination of signs are appropriate. Crashes occur mostly when the drivers try to go through the gate or around the gate when a train is approaching. Drivers come to a complete stop at stop signs and then proceed only if a train is not coming, this may lead to a crash when they cannot accelerate in time to cross the tracks. Yield sign may have better results in this case. Cross-buck signs are same as the yield sign where drivers should slow down, look for the train and then proceed. However, people may tend to proceed without yielding as it is not as common of a sign. Hence we can say driver behavior at specific sign is important for the recommendation or the guideline to install a sign. Adopting a common sign at all grade crossings could provide enhanced consistency and reduce crashes. A literature review was done on human behavior at grade crossings and the crash rate at different types of signs. Driver behavior at the time of the crash for 15 states was studied from the Federal Railroad Administration data by reviewing detailed reasons for every crash. Driver behavior at different types of signs at the time of each crash was studied from the reviewed data and the literature review. Driver behavior at different signs was summarized.

Developing and Implementing Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Criteria for Selecting Traffic Control for Unsignalized Intersections

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (11) ◽  
pp. 319-331
Author(s):  
H. Gene Hawkins ◽  
Kay Fitzpatrick ◽  
Marcus A. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Engineering ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Right Of Way ◽  
Unsignalized Intersections ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices ◽  
Urban Conditions ◽  
Selection Of

The 2009 United States Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) includes guidance for the use of various types of traffic control at unsignalized intersections. Despite changes and advances in traffic engineering in recent decades, the MUTCD content related to selection of traffic control in Part 2B has seen only minor changes since 1971. The types of unsignalized traffic control addressed in the current research included no control, yield control, two-way stop control, and all-way stop control. The research team developed recommendations using information available from reviews of existing literature, policies, guidelines, and findings from an economic analysis along with the engineering judgment of the research team and panel. The researchers then developed recommended language for the next edition of the MUTCD for unsignalized intersections. This includes consideration of high-speed (rural) and low-speed (urban) conditions along with the number of legs at the intersection. Because the number of expected crashes at an intersection is a function of the number of legs, the decision on appropriate traffic control should also be sensitive to the number of legs present. The proposed language includes introductory general considerations, discusses alternatives to changing right-of-way control, and steps through the various forms of unsignalized control from least restrictive to most restrictive, beginning with no control and concluding with all-way stop control.

scholarly journals Risk Factors in Work Zone Safety Events: A Naturalistic Driving Study Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (1) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nipjyoti Bharadwaj ◽  
Praveen Edara ◽  
Carlos Sun
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Work Zone Safety ◽  
Naturalistic Driving Study ◽  
Naturalistic Driving ◽  
The Impact

Identification of crash risk factors and enhancing safety at work zones is a major priority for transportation agencies. There is a critical need for collecting comprehensive data related to work zone safety. The naturalistic driving study (NDS) data offers a rare opportunity for a first-hand view of crashes and near-crashes (CNC) that occur in and around work zones. NDS includes information related to driver behavior and various non-driving related tasks performed while driving. Thus, the impact of driver behavior on crash risk along with infrastructure and traffic variables can be assessed. This study: (1) investigated risk factors associated with safety critical events occurring in a work zone; (2) developed a binary logistic regression model to estimate crash risk in work zones; and (3) quantified risk for different factors using matched case-control design and odds ratios (OR). The predictive ability of the model was evaluated by developing receiver operating characteristic curves for training and validation datasets. The results indicate that performing a non-driving related secondary task for more than 6 seconds increases the CNC risk by 5.46 times. Driver inattention was found to be the most critical behavioral factor contributing to CNC risk with an odds ratio of 29.06. In addition, traffic conditions corresponding to Level of Service (LOS) D exhibited the highest level of CNC risk in work zones. This study represents one of the first efforts to closely examine work zone events in the Transportation Research Board’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) NDS data to better understand factors contributing to increased crash risk in work zones.

Using Naturalistic Driving Study Data to Evaluate the Effects of Intersection Balance on Driver Behavior at Partial Cloverleaf Interchange Terminals

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (38) ◽  
pp. 255-265
Author(s):  
Jin Wang ◽  
Huaguo Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Statistical Characteristics ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Left Turn ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Naturalistic Driving Study ◽  
Naturalistic Driving ◽  
Entrance Ramps

Past studies showed that poor intersection balances at partial cloverleaf (parclo) interchange terminals significantly impact traffic safety and sight distance of drivers making left turns to entrance ramps. Some state traffic agencies have recommended a “balance” guideline that the length between the left-turn stop line on crossroads to the middle of the intersection should not be greater than 60% of the entire length of the intersection. However, a scarcity of research exists on how the balance of an intersection affects driver behavior, which has been identified as a critical contributing factor to intersection-related crashes. This study utilizes the Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) data to evaluate the effects of intersection balance on driver behavior at parclo interchange terminals for proof-of-concept. A small but representative data sample was collected from the second Strategic Highway Research Program’s (SHRP 2) NDS dataset. It demonstrates statistical characteristics and overall trends of driver speed, acceleration/deceleration rates, and risk perception with the changing of intersection balances. Conclusions provide guidance on optimal intersection balance design that may help drivers make smoother and safer transitions from crossroads to entrance ramps at parclo interchange terminals.

scholarly journals Cheminformatics Analysis of Natural Product Scaffolds: Comparison of Scaffolds Produced by Animals, Plants, Fungi and Bacteria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Ertl ◽  
Tim Schuhmann
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Natural Product ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Large Database ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractNatural products (NPs) have evolved over a very long natural selection process to form optimal interactions with biologically relevant macromolecules. NPs are therefore an extremely useful source of inspiration for the design of new drugs. In the present study we report the results of a cheminformatics analysis of a large database of NP structures focusing on their scaffolds. First, general differences between NP scaffolds and scaffolds from synthetic molecules are discussed, followed by a comparison of the properties of scaffolds produced by different types of organisms. Scaffolds produced by plants are the most complex and those produced by bacteria differ in many structural features from scaffolds produced by other organisms. The results presented here may be used as a guidance in selection of scaffolds for the design of novel NP-like bioactive structures or NP-inspired libraries.

Effectiveness of Using SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data to Analyze Driver Behavior at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Dean ◽  
Pasi Lautala ◽  
David Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Machine Vision ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Test Sample ◽  
Head Tracking ◽  
Tracking Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Naturalistic Driving Study ◽  
Naturalistic Driving

Highway-rail grade crossing (crossing) collisions and fatalities have been in decline, but a recent ‘plateau’ has caused the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to concentrate on decreasing further casualties. The Michigan Tech Rail Transportation Program has been selected to perform a large-scale study that will utilize the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) data to analyze how various crossing warning devices affect driver behavior and whether there are clear differences between the effectiveness of the warning devices. The main results of this study are the development of a coding scheme for a visual narrative, used to validate machine vision head tracking data, and an improved baseline for the head tracking data using bivariate probability density. Head tracking data from the NDS and its correlation with coded narratives are vital to analyze driver behavior as they traverse crossings. This paper also presents preliminary results for the comparative analysis of the head tracking data from an initial test sample. Future work will extend the analysis to a larger data set, and ensure that use of the head tracking data is a viable tool for the ongoing behavior analysis work. Based on preliminary results from testing of the first data set, it is expected there will be significant positive correlation in future samples and the machine vision head tracking will prove consistent enough for use in the large scale behavioral study.

Pipeline Coating Selection Process: A Hybrid Multi-Criteria Based Approach

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherif Hassanien ◽  
Len Krissa ◽  
Vitaly Vorontsov
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Critical Material ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Critical Material Attributes ◽  
External Corrosion ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
Selection Of

The most critical component of external corrosion prevention on pipeline is the protective coating system. The coating selection process can be extremely challenging due to the sheer number of manufacturers and products/options that are offered — often with limited performance data available. Relying solely on manufacturer’s recommendations or information can be problematic when the anticipated service environment has not been adequately characterized, application parameters not completely understood, and/or when there is a misunderstanding of the product’s capabilities. Although there are many test methods for evaluation of pipe coatings, there are no commonly accepted test protocols or acceptance criteria for selecting coatings. Moreover, laboratory based testing is often complicated, expensive, and rarely provides an accurate simulation of field conditions. Although in-house subject matter experts (SMEs) and/or independent coating specialists provide some confidence in coating selection, the diversity of background and experience between these experts frequently creates inconsistency in coating evaluations and can produce divergent or conflicting recommendations. In this paper, an innovative approach is proposed to address these coating selection process challenges. The proposed approach incorporates a systematic analysis of critical material attributes within an expert environment, and applies established decision making techniques to the evaluation. Priorities are developed by structuring a hierarchy of criteria and eliciting technical judgment of company’s SMEs, stakeholders, and unbiased industry specialists. The Deterministic Analytic Hierarchy Process (d-AHP) is applied using pairwise comparisons for prioritizing coating products/options and achieving an optimal selection. The experts’ opinions can then be updated by technical lab-based results for a smaller selection of top ranked products. Laboratory tests would be expected to be completed annually based on smart selection of certain products and to ensure year-over-year consistency. This paper also presents a probabilistic approach that improves d-AHP in order to capture uncertainties in experts’ opinions and/or lab results through probabilistic AHP (p-AHP). Although this approach is not widely used within the pipeline industry, there is a potential opportunity to improve conventional approaches for selecting and approving coatings for pipelines based on a systematic/quantitative approach.

Driver Behavior at Intersections: An Analysis of Accident Related Variables

1986 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monty G. Grubb
Keyword(s):  
Visual Field ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Driving Simulation ◽  
Video Display ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Response Modes ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
Age And Sex

An intersection driving simulation was created by providing research participants with a video display of approaching intersections in a 120 degree visual field. Six groups were formed according to age and sex. All participants viewed 14 different intersections containing varied traffic control devices. Individual workload was assessed in three response modes: performance, subjective, and physiological. A MANOVA was performed on six dependent variables in the 3 (age) X 2 (sex) design. Results indicate significant main effects for both age and sex.

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