Road safety is one of the most crucial problems all over the world. Traditional approach to the design of safe roads is based on kinematical and dynamic equations that impose geometrical requirements for each single element. The increase of traffic flows causes a severe problem of vehicle interferences when the levels of service of the road decrease. It has a relevant impact on safety. At the same time, the high value of vehicles density is determined by the overlapping of traffic flows generated by different motivations, from commuting, to tourism, from occasional mobility to exceptional events. These flows have completely different expectations from road and traffic. The conflict between the drivers’ expectation and real level of service has an effect on the human threshold for risk acceptance. This effect is obviously different among the different components of traffic flow and it frequently leads to unsafe behaviors. This consideration has been confirmed by many risk assessments of existing roads. Traditional approach cannot investigate similar questions affected by human factors. Emerging technologies make it possible to evaluate the interaction among driver, vehicle and road environment (traffic, geometry, pavement, external conditions) through an interdisciplinary approach. Interactive driving simulators are generally used by psychologists and car manufacturers. Since some years simulators have been also used to improve the effectiveness of road safety studies under an interdisciplinary perspective. This paper presents the applications of interactive driving simulators to improve the safety of main rural roads. Three cases are discussed: the evaluation of driver’s reaction time under different conditions of mental workload, the reliability of theoretical assumptions for passing maneuver, the validation of advanced indicators for safety audits. The outcomes are interesting and sometimes they contrast traditional assumptions based on kinematical and dynamic hypotheses.
Calvi, A., D'Amico, F., Benedetto, A. (2006). Approach Based on Interactive Simulation for Design of Main Rural Roads. In Proceedings of Third Gulf Conference on Roads.
Approach Based on Interactive Simulation for Design of Main Rural Roads
CALVI, ALESSANDRO;D'AMICO, FABRIZIO;BENEDETTO, ANDREA
2006-01-01
Abstract
Road safety is one of the most crucial problems all over the world. Traditional approach to the design of safe roads is based on kinematical and dynamic equations that impose geometrical requirements for each single element. The increase of traffic flows causes a severe problem of vehicle interferences when the levels of service of the road decrease. It has a relevant impact on safety. At the same time, the high value of vehicles density is determined by the overlapping of traffic flows generated by different motivations, from commuting, to tourism, from occasional mobility to exceptional events. These flows have completely different expectations from road and traffic. The conflict between the drivers’ expectation and real level of service has an effect on the human threshold for risk acceptance. This effect is obviously different among the different components of traffic flow and it frequently leads to unsafe behaviors. This consideration has been confirmed by many risk assessments of existing roads. Traditional approach cannot investigate similar questions affected by human factors. Emerging technologies make it possible to evaluate the interaction among driver, vehicle and road environment (traffic, geometry, pavement, external conditions) through an interdisciplinary approach. Interactive driving simulators are generally used by psychologists and car manufacturers. Since some years simulators have been also used to improve the effectiveness of road safety studies under an interdisciplinary perspective. This paper presents the applications of interactive driving simulators to improve the safety of main rural roads. Three cases are discussed: the evaluation of driver’s reaction time under different conditions of mental workload, the reliability of theoretical assumptions for passing maneuver, the validation of advanced indicators for safety audits. The outcomes are interesting and sometimes they contrast traditional assumptions based on kinematical and dynamic hypotheses.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
