The effects in distance and time of traffic calming measures near road transitions and discontinuities by means of driving simulator research

Road safety is worldwide a serious problem which leads to high physical, psychological, material and economic costs. The pro-active character of the Safe System Approach (paragraph 1.3) provides a good starting-point to achieve the joint target to drastically reduce road fatalities and accidents. The road safety measures in the context of the Safe System Approach take humans’ limitations with respect to information processing capabilities and human’s body tolerance into account. The, so called, ergonomic or human-centered road design incorporates human factors during the whole design process of the road and the road environment in order to avoid road accidents and minimize the accident severity. The design of a predictable and recognizable environment enables road users to call the right expectations. This encourages the desired behavior in a given environment, and makes it easier for road users to predict the behavior of other road users, thereby supporting road safety. Several studies indicate the importance of recognizable transitions (i.e., between two road categories) and discontinuities (i.e., major change in road design within the same road category) as an adaptation of the behavior of the driver is required at these locations. Typically, transitions and discontinuities go together with an important change in speed management and/or attention level in order to maintain safe driving behavior. Nevertheless, research and design standards are rather scarce in this domain. Based on the literature, it can be concluded that additional insight in the design and influence of transitions and discontinuities is required.

Jaar van publicatie:2016

Toegankelijkheid:Open