Citation

Eliou N. Proc. Road Saf. Four Continents Conf. 2010; 15: 978-995.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Conference Sponsor)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

The scope of this paper is to assess-interpret the behavior of experienced and non-experienced drivers in high-way driving circumstances, where, due to intense traffic and non proper road designing, the level of the provided service is low and the driving task becomes a stressful procedure. In order to assess-estimate the level of drivers' stress, a several numbers or drivers' behavior characteristics were measured (velocity, acceleration-deceleration, driving track etc.). The monitoring of driving behavior was recorded using the VBOX II and VideoVbox (Racelogic Ltd, U.K) device, which is a Differential GPS based set of instruments, including a3D accelerometer. The setup of the research was to monitor driving behavior of 8 different drivers, driving 2 different typical (for Greek car-fleet) passenger cars, on typical sections of national highway network. The trial tests, in order to assess drivers' perception, were carried out during peek hours (Morning and Noon) as they are defined using Highway Capacity Manual Procedure. The present paper presents the first results of a research effort, which is dedicated to the detailed drivers' behavior analysis. It is obvious that the proper highway design should not only be based on geometric aspects, but on oncoming traffic conditions, especially on high and heavy traffic volume highways. A lot of research has to be done on drivers' behavioral analysis, in order to achieve better road alignment (beyond standard regulations and guidelines) and better signing, with emphasis to safety.