Citation

Wan J, Wu C, Zhang Y. J. Saf. Res. 2016; 58: 89-98.

Affiliation

Department of Industrial and System Engineering, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsr.2016.07.003

PMID

27620938

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Under the connected vehicle environment, vehicles will be able to exchange traffic information with roadway infrastructure and other vehicles. With such information, collision warning systems (CWSs) will be able to warn drivers with potentially hazardous situations within or out of sight and reduce collision accidents. The lead time of warning messages is a crucial factor in determining the effectiveness of CWSs in the prevention of traffic accidents. Accordingly, it is necessary to understand the effects of lead time on driving behaviors and explore the optimal lead time in various collision scenarios.

METHODS: The present driving simulator experiment studied the effects of controlled lead time at 16 levels (predetermined time headway from the subject vehicle to the collision location when the warning message broadcasted to a driver) on driving behaviors in various collision scenarios.

RESULTS: Maximum effectiveness of warning messages was achieved when the controlled lead time was within the range of 5s to 8s. Specifically, the controlled lead time ranging from 4s to 8s led to the optimal safety benefit; and the controlled lead time ranging from 5s to 8s led to more gradual braking and shorter reaction time. Furthermore, a trapezoidal distribution of warning effectiveness was found by building a statistic model using curve estimation considering lead time, lifetime driving experience, and driving speed.

CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that the controlled lead time significantly affected driver performance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The findings have implications for the design of collision warning systems.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

Language: en