Citation

Mecheri S, Rosey F, Lobjois R. Safety Sci. 2020; 123: e104570.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2019.104570

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The effect of road configuration on drivers' behavior when overtaking cyclists has mainly been investigated in the field by measuring the leeway left by motorists at the time of passing (i.e., lateral clearance) without controlling for the driver's travel space (i.e., distance between the centerline and the cyclist). The aim of the present driving-simulator study was to determine whether manipulating the configuration of two-lane rural roads in a fixed travel space would affect driver overtaking on tangents. The lane width, shoulder width, and the cyclist's position were manipulated. Driver overtaking behavior was analyzed by measuring lateral clearance, passing speed, and the frequency of near passes (<1 m) and centerline encroachments. The results showed that variations in the driver's travel space brought about by different lane widths and cyclist positions had a significant impact on lateral clearance, highlighting the importance of controlling this factor to gain insight into the influence of road design on overtaking behavior. It was also found that shoulder widening in constant travel-space conditions was ineffective in altering driver-cyclist interactions. Finally, manipulating road configuration in a fixed travel space and pavement width did have an impact on lateral clearance, without affecting the passing speed or the frequency of centerline encroachments. Overall, these findings have implications at the methodological level for future studies on driver-overtaking behavior, and at the applied level for the design of shoulders and the configuration of two-lane rural roads suitable for cycle use.

Language: en

Keywords

Cyclist; Driver overtaking; Driving simulator; Lateral clearance; Road design