scholarly journals Quantifying the Effects of Visual Road Information on Drivers’ Speed Choices to Promote Self-Explaining Roads

Author(s):  
Yuting Qin ◽  
Yuren Chen ◽  
Kunhui Lin

Roads should deliver appropriate information to drivers and thus induce safer driving behavior. This concept is also known as “self-explaining roads” (SERs). Previous studies have demonstrated that understanding how road characteristics affect drivers’ speed choices is the key to SERs. Thus, in order to reduce traffic casualties via engineering methods, this study aimed to establish a speed decision model based on visual road information and to propose an innovative method of SER design. It was assumed that driving speed is determined by road geometry and modified by the environment. Lane fitting and image semantic segmentation techniques were used to extract road features. Field experiments were conducted in Tibet, China, and 1375 typical road scenarios were picked out. By controlling variables, the driving speed stimulated by each piece of information was evaluated. Prediction models for geometry-determined speed and environment-modified speed were built using the random forest algorithm and convolutional neural network. Results showed that the curvature of the right boundary in “near scene” and “middle scene”, and the density of roadside greenery and residences play an important role in regulating driving speed. The findings of this research could provide qualitative and quantitative suggestions for the optimization of road design that would guide drivers to choose more reasonable driving speeds.

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 252-270
Author(s):  
Mindaugas Šeporaitis ◽  
Viktoras Vorobjovas ◽  
Audrius Vaitkus

This paper presents a case study of driving speed at horizontal curves in the regional road. The literature review of operating speed at horizontal curves in regional roads expresses the difference between design speed and driving speed. Driving speed was measured in ten horizontal curves on regional road No. 2610. Collected data was compared to the design speed, various design standards, and Operating Speed Prediction Models for traffic in low-volume roads. Based on result analysis, was proposed initial adjusted minimum radius of the horizontal curve based on operating speed. It is justified that proposed corrections based on operating speed ensure a credible speed limit effect on road safety. The performed experiment showed different tendencies comparing measured driving speed with permitted and design speeds. It was determined that dependent on specific curved section drivers tend to exceed posted speed limit from 17% to 98% of cases, and from 41% to 100% − the design speed in the horizontal curve. This research led to identifying the limitations of experimental research methodology. These limitations are related to experimental Site selection with different combinations of alignment elements, traffic, and accident data. A pilot study showed significant results and gave essential insights into the full-scale research plan. The results are expected to benefit both other researchers and the organisations responsible for the development and implementation of normative technical documents for road design.


Author(s):  
Cody A. Pennetti ◽  
Kelsey Hollenback ◽  
Inki Kim ◽  
James H. Lambert

Current U.S. geometric road design standards are based on a prescribed value for a driver’s perception-reaction time (a constant value of 2.5 seconds), which represents the time necessary for a driver to safely stop the vehicle to avoid a crash (referred to as a stopping sight distance); however, these standards fail to consider how road complexity, driver risk perception, and visual stimuli can influence perception-reaction time. With over a million vehicle fatalities a year (WHO, n.d.), it is necessary to investigate methods of improving driver safety. The influence of road characteristics is considered with some road design policies, but not currently applied to stopping sight distance. This paper introduces theoretical considerations for increasing perception-reaction time (and thereby adjusting speed limits or road geometry) based on roadway complexity (volume of vehicles, road geometry, pedestrian crossings, frequency of adverse weather conditions, or other conditions).


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Ascarza

Companies in a variety of sectors are increasingly managing customer churn proactively, generally by detecting customers at the highest risk of churning and targeting retention efforts towards them. While there is a vast literature on developing churn prediction models that identify customers at the highest risk of churning, no research has investigated whether it is indeed optimal to target those individuals. Combining two field experiments with machine learning techniques, the author demonstrates that customers identified as having the highest risk of churning are not necessarily the best targets for proactive churn programs. This finding is not only contrary to common wisdom but also suggests that retention programs are sometimes futile not because firms offer the wrong incentives but because they do not apply the right targeting rules. Accordingly, firms should focus their modeling efforts on identifying the observed heterogeneity in response to the intervention and to target customers on the basis of their sensitivity to the intervention, regardless of their risk of churning. This approach is empirically demonstrated to be significantly more effective than the standard practice of targeting customers with the highest risk of churning. More broadly, the author encourages firms and researchers using randomized trials (or A/B tests) to look beyond the average effect of interventions and leverage the observed heterogeneity in customers' response to select customer targets.


Author(s):  
Thierry Brenac

This paper deals with safety at horizontal curves on two-lane roads outside urban areas and the way the road design standards of different European countries account for this safety aspect. After a review of some research results, the main aspects of curve geometry and the curve's place in the horizontal alignment are analyzed. The main conclusions are that the traditional design speed approach is insufficient and that formal complementary rules in road design standards, especially to improve compatibility between successive elements of the alignment, must be introduced. If such complementary rules already exist in some national standards, they are neither frequent nor homogeneous throughout the different countries, and it seems that they are not based on sufficiently developed knowledge.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yan ◽  
Gengping Li ◽  
Jinjun Tang ◽  
Zhongyin Guo

Operating speed is a critical indicator for road alignment consistency design and safety evaluation. Although extensive studies have been conducted on operating speed prediction, few models can finish practical continuous prediction at each point along alignment on multilane highways. This study proposes a novel method to estimate the operating speed for multilane highways in China from the aspect of the three-dimensional alignment combination. Operating speed data collected in field experiments on 304 different alignment combination sections are detected by means of Global Positioning System. First, the alignment comprehensive index (ACI) is designed and introduced to describe the function accounting for alignment continuity and driving safety. The variables used in ACI include horizontal curve radius, change rate of curvature, deflection angle of curve, grade, and lane width. Second, the influence range of front and rear alignment on speed is determined on the basis of drivers’ fixation range and dynamical properties of vehicles. Furthermore, a prediction model based on exponential relationships between road alignment and speeds is designed to predict the speed of passenger cars and trucks. Finally, three common criteria are utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of the prediction models. The results indicate that the prediction models outperform the other two operating speed models for their higher prediction accuracy.


1984 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 1007-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Brizzolara ◽  
Anna Maria Chilosi ◽  
Gianni Luigi De Nobili ◽  
Giovanni Ferretti

Evidence for normal development of linguistic but poor visuo-perceptual skills has been obtained with the neuropsychological assessment of a case of early left-brain injury. Data suggest the transfer of linguistic functions from the left to the right hemisphere at the expense of visuo-perceptual capacities for which the right hemisphere is potentially specialized.


Transport ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 853-860
Author(s):  
Nicola BONGIORNO ◽  
Gaetano BOSURGI ◽  
Orazio PELLEGRINO ◽  
Giuseppe SOLLAZZO

This paper analyses the driver’ visual behaviour in the different conditions of ‘isolated vehicle’ and ‘disturbed vehicle’. If the meaning of the former is clear, the latter condition considers the influence on the driving behaviour of various objects that could be encountered along the road. These can be classified in static (signage, stationary vehicles at the roadside, etc.) and dynamic objects (cars, motorcycles, bicycles). The aim of this paper is to propose a proper analysis regarding the driver’s visual behaviour. In particular, the authors examined the quality of the visually informa-tion acquired from the entire road environment, useful for detecting any critical safety condition. In order to guaran-tee a deep examination of the various possible behaviours, the authors combined the several test outcomes with other variables related to the road geometry and with the dynamic variables involved while driving. The results of this study are very interesting. As expected, they obviously confirmed better performances for the ‘isolated vehicle’ in a rural two-lane road with different traffic flows. Moreover, analysing the various scenarios in the disturbed condition, the proposed indices allow the authors to quantitatively describe the different influence on the visual field and effects on the visual behaviour, favouring critical analysis of the road characteristics. Potential applications of these results may contribute to improve the choice of the best maintenance strategies for a road, to select the optimal signage location, to define forecasting models for the driving behaviour and to develop useful instruments for intelligent transportation systems.


Author(s):  
Mark McDougall ◽  
Ken Williamson

Oil and gas production in Canada’s west has led to the need for a significant increase in pipeline capacity to reach export markets. Current proposals from major oil and gas transportation companies include numerous large diameter pipelines across the Rocky Mountains to port locations on the coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada. The large scale of these projects and the rugged terrain they cross lead to numerous challenges not typically faced with conventional cross-country pipelines across the plains. The logistics and access challenges faced by these mountain pipeline projects require significant pre-planning and assessment, to determine the timing, cost, regulatory and environmental impacts. The logistics of pipeline construction projects mainly encompasses the transportation of pipe and pipeline materials, construction equipment and supplies, and personnel from point of manufacture or point of supply to the right-of-way (ROW) or construction area. These logistics movement revolve around the available types of access routes and seasonal constraints. Pipeline contractors and logistics companies have vast experience in moving this type of large equipment, however regulatory constraints and environmental restrictions in some locations will lead to significant pre-planning, permitting and additional time and cost for material movement. In addition, seasonal constraints limit available transportation windows. The types of access vary greatly in mountain pipeline projects. In BC, the majority of off-highway roads and bridges were originally constructed for the forestry industry, which transports logs downhill whereas the pipeline industry transports large equipment and pipeline materials in both directions and specifically hauls pipe uphill. The capacity, current state and location of these off-highway roads must be assessed very early in the process to determine viability and/or potential options for construction access. Regulatory requirements, environmental restrictions, season of use restrictions and road design must all be considered when examining the use of or upgrade of existing access roads and bridges. These same restrictions are even more critical to the construction of new access roads and bridges. The logistics and access challenges facing the construction of large diameter mountain pipelines in Western Canada can be managed with proper and timely planning. The cost of the logistics and access required for construction of these proposed pipeline projects will typically be greater than for traditional pipelines, but the key constraint is the considerable time requirement to construct the required new access and pre-position the appropriate material to meet the construction schedule. The entire project team, including design engineers, construction and logistics planners, and material suppliers must be involved in the planning stages to ensure a cohesive strategy and schedule. This paper will present the typical challenges faced in access and logistics for large diameter mountain pipelines, and a process for developing a comprehensive plan for their execution.


Psihologija ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-211
Author(s):  
Jasmina Vuksanovic ◽  
Milena Djuric

Fluency tests are frequently used in clinical practice to asses executive functions. The literature data are not unequivocal although in a great number of papers is pointed out the importance of the left hemisphere, specially of the left frontal lobes in the mediation of phonological fluency and the right hemisphere in the mediation of nonverbal fluency. This paper considers the suitability of fluency tests for the detection of left versus right seizure laterality. The sample consisted of thirty-two epilepsy patients divided into two groups: LHF-participants with the seizure focus in the left hemisphere (n=16), and DHF-participants with the seizure focus in the right hemisphere (n=16), and K-the control group of t age-matched healthy children (n=50) aged 7-11 years. The qualitative and quantitative comparison of the phonological and nonverbal fluency performance was carried out in consideration of the seizure laterality as well as compared to the healthy controls. The results of phonological fluency performance revealed that the performance of the LHF group was significantly reduced as compared to both DHF and K group. The analysis of nonverbal fluency performance revealed that the performance of the DHF group was significantly reduced as compared to both LHF and K group The qualitative analysis obtained valuable data, which could additionally contribute to the neuropsychological evaluation of the left versus right seizure laterality.


Author(s):  
L.A. Yusupova ◽  
L.M. Sokolova ◽  
A.V. Kornev ◽  
A.N. Khovrin

Представлены результаты испытаний образцов моркови столовой в условиях Московской и Ростовской областей. Цель исследований – провести сортоиспытание моркови столовой в двух эколого-географических зонах и выявить различия по отдельным качественным и количественным признакам. Исследования проведены в 2017-2018 годах. Метеорологические условия 2017-2018 годов в Московской области (МО) складывались неблагоприятно для развития моркови в фазу «вилочки» и начала формирования корнеплодов. В Ростовской области жаркая и сухая погода в июле-августе отрицательно влияла на рост развитие корнеплодов. Материалом для исследований служили 3 сорта и 3 гибрида моркови столовой отечественной селекции: Корсар, Шантенэ королевская, Нанте, F1 Таврида, F1 Поиск 32, F1 Поиск 41. Полевые опыты были заложены согласно общепринятым методикам. Образцы значительно отличались по длине корнеплода: корнеплоды, выращенные в Ростовской области, имели большую длину, чем в Московской области, за исключением сорта Шантенэ королевская (11,9 и 13,2 см соответственно) и гибрида F1 Поиск 32 (18,4 и 15,8 см соответственно), у которых наблюдали обратную тенденцию. По урожайности сорта и гибриды, полученные в МО, значительно превосходили аналогичные образцы, выращенные в Ростовской области. На юге в течение двух лет испытаний лучше всех показал себя сорт Шантенэ королевская (55,0 и 54,9 т/га). В Московской области наибольшую урожайность показывал сорт Шантенэ королевская (75,0 и 69,5 т/га соответственно), гибриды F1 Поиск 32 (73,2 и 69,0 т/га), F1 Поиск 41 (69,0 и 64,7 т/га). Распространение листовых болезней в условиях Московской и Ростовской областей сводилось к тому, что в 2018 году по сравнению с 2017 годом образцы были более устойчивы, кроме гибридов F1 Таврида и F1 Поиск 41.The results of testing samples of carrots in the conditions of Moscow and Rostov regions are presented. The purpose of the research is to carry out a variety testing of carrots in two ecological-geographical zones and to identify differences in individual qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Research conducted in 2017-2018. The meteorological conditions of 2017–2018 in the Moscow Region (MO) were unfavorable for the development of carrots in the “fork” phase and the beginning of the formation of roots. In the Rostov region, hot and dry weather in July and August negatively influenced the growth of the development of roots. The material for research was 3 varieties and 3 carrot hybrids of the domestic breeding: Corsar, Shantene korolevskaya, Nante, F1 Tavrida, F1 Poisk 32, F1 Poisk 41. Field experiments were established according to generally accepted methods. The samples differed significantly in the length of the roots: roots grown in the Rostov region had a greater length than in the Moscow region, with the exception of the Shantene korolevskaya variety (11.9 and 13.2 cm, respectively) and the hybrid F1 (18.4 and 15.8 cm, respectively), which observed the opposite trend. In terms of yield, the varieties and hybrids obtained in the MO were significantly superior to similar samples grown in the Rostov region. In the south, during two years of testing, the Shantene korolevskaya variety (55.0 and 54.9 t/ha) performed best of all. In the Moscow region, the highest yield was shown by the variety Shantene korolevskaya (75.0 and 69.5 t/ha, respectively), hybrids F1 (73.2 and 69.0 t ha), F1 Poisk 41 (69.0 and 64. 7 t/ha). The spread of leaf diseases in the conditions of Moscow and Rostov regions was reduced to the fact that in 2018 compared to 2017, the samples were more stable, except for the F1 Tavrida and F1 Poisk 41.


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