Impact on Driver Behavior of Steady-Burn Warning Lights on Channelizing Drums in Work Zones

2011 ◽  
Vol 2258 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Gates ◽  
Peter T. Savolainen ◽  
Tapan K. Datta ◽  
Prasad Nannapaneni
Keyword(s):  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Warning Lights

Driver Behavior in Response to Flashing Lights

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (5) ◽  
pp. 703-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Kersavage ◽  
Nicholas P. Skinner ◽  
John D. Bullough ◽  
Philip M. Garvey ◽  
Eric T. Donnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Sequential Pattern ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Lane Change ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
The Road ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Warning Lights ◽  
Current Standards

Flashing yellow warning lights notify drivers about the presence of work along the road. Current standards for these lights address performance of the individual light but not how lights should function when multiple lights are used. In the present study, warning lights were used to delineate a lane change taper in a simulated work zone. Lights flashed with varying intensities and either randomly or in sequence, with lights flashing in turn along the length of the lane change taper, either to the right or to the left. In half of the trials, a flashing police light bar was used on a vehicle located within the simulated work zone. Participants were asked to drive a vehicle approaching the work zone and to identify, as quickly as possible, in which direction the taper’s lane change was (either to the right or left). Drivers were able to correctly identify the taper from farther away when the lights flashed in a sequential pattern than when the flash pattern was random; and the presence of a police light bar resulted in shorter identification distances. The results, along with previous research, can inform standards for the use of flashing lights and police lights in work zones for the safety of drivers and workers.

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.

scholarly journals Influence of Remotely Operated Stop–Slow Controls on Driver Behavior in Work Zones

2017 ◽  
Vol 2615 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashim Kumar Debnath ◽  
Ross Blackman ◽  
Narelle Haworth ◽  
Yusuf Adinegoro
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Driver Understanding ◽  
Rural Work

Remotely operated devices for traffic control—portable traffic lights and automated flagger assistance devices—are used to improve flagger safety in a one-lane-each-way work zone with lane closure. Previous research has measured the effectiveness of these devices as driver compliance rates and driver understanding of the devices, but the effects of these devices on driver behavior have not yet been examined comprehensively. Therefore, the influence of remotely operated stop–slow traffic control devices on driver behavior was examined. Video-recorded traffic movements from a rural work zone in the Queensland state of Australia provided driver speeds, deceleration profiles, stopping behavior, and compliance rates for a set of remotely operated devices new to Australia: static red–amber–green lights, static red–amber lights, static red–amber arrow lights, and mechanical stop–slow signs. Pneumatic tube traffic counters were used to collect driver speeds before and after the devices, and an on-road driver survey was conducted to elicit driver understanding of the devices. Results indicated that drivers had difficulty understanding the new devices, particularly the amber light and amber arrow options (which confused drivers about their meaning—to stop or to go). The new remotely operated devices resulted in higher approach speeds, greater variability in approach speeds, and faster deceleration rates than the flagger method. The good compliance rates observed with the remotely operated devices imply that the devices could improve flagger safety by reducing flagger exposure to traffic; however, the negative effects on driver behavior might indicate an increased risk of rear-end crashes in the advance warning area.

Safety Evaluation of Sequential Warning Lights in Tapers at Nighttime Work Zones

2012 ◽  
Vol 2272 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Sun ◽  
Praveen Edara ◽  
Yi Hou ◽  
Andrew Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Safety Evaluation ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Warning Lights

An Assessment of Safety Culture While Navigating Work Zones

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1499-1503
Author(s):  
Jacob D. Achtemeier ◽  
Nichole L. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Safety Culture ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Roadway Safety ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Vehicle Technologies ◽  
Willingness To Use

A survey was administered to evaluate a variety of driver opinions, behaviors, and technology use in the context of work zones. Safety culture thematic inquiries, such as willingness to use a cell phone while driving, as well as adherence and trust of conventional work zone signage were included in the driver behavior inventory. Thematic results were examined through a factor analyses, providing insight into the relationship among responses to survey items. Study results contribute to the understanding of driver attitudes towards conventional signage in work zones, driver perceptions of their and others’ safety, and the degree to which drivers are receptive to new in-vehicle technologies to supplement signage. Driver attitudes and reported interactions with phones while driving is discussed. The study explores the safety and acceptance potential of an in-vehicle, smartphone-based, work zone messaging system on driver behavior and roadway safety.

Driving simulator validation of driver behavior with limited safe vantage points for data collection in work zones

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 53.e1-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghulam H. Bham ◽  
Ming C. Leu ◽  
Manoj Vallati ◽  
Durga R. Mathur
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Driver Behavior ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Vantage Points

Photometric Evaluation of Steady-Burn Warning Lights in Work Zones

2014 ◽  
Vol 2458 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-95
Author(s):  
LuAnn Theiss ◽  
Jeffrey D. Miles ◽  
Gerald L. Ullman ◽  
Stefanie D. Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Work Zones ◽  
Warning Lights

Evaluation of Cost-Effectiveness of Steady-Burn Warning Lights in Work Zones

2014 ◽  
Vol 2458 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
LuAnn Theiss ◽  
Michael P. Pratt ◽  
Gerald L. Ullman ◽  
Stefanie D. Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Warning Lights

scholarly journals Toward the development of standards for yellow flashing lights used in work zones

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 552-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
MS Rea ◽  
JD Bullough ◽  
LC Radetsky ◽  
NP Skinner ◽  
A Bierman
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Luminous Intensity ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Driver Safety ◽  
Visual Discomfort ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Warning Light ◽  
Warning Lights ◽  
Current Standards

Flashing yellow warning lights are important for worker and driver safety in work zones. Current standards for these lights do not address whether and how they should be coordinated to provide directional information to drivers navigating through work zones. A field study was conducted to assess driver responses to warning lights. The luminous intensities and flash patterns of warning lights along a simulated work zone were varied during daytime and nighttime. During the daytime, driver responses were relatively insensitive to warning light characteristics, although drivers preferred sequential and synchronised flash patterns over random, uncoordinated flashing. At nighttime, the combination of a temporal peak luminous intensity of 25 cd and a sequential flash pattern was optimal for providing directional information. A single initial warning light having a higher luminous intensity may help drivers detect the work zone without creating unacceptable visual discomfort.

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