Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based Study

The complex environment at grade crossings and the severe collision consequences give rise to the concern of safety condition at crossings among traffic control authorities. Optimizing conventional devices and applying emerging technologies are worthwhile measures to improve the safety conditions at...

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Main Authors: Jingsi Yang, Xuedong Yan, Qingwan Xue, Xiaomeng Li, Ke Duan, Junyu Hang, Wanjun Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:Journal of Advanced Transportation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/2497459
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author Jingsi Yang
Xuedong Yan
Qingwan Xue
Xiaomeng Li
Ke Duan
Junyu Hang
Wanjun Li
author_facet Jingsi Yang
Xuedong Yan
Qingwan Xue
Xiaomeng Li
Ke Duan
Junyu Hang
Wanjun Li
author_sort Jingsi Yang
collection DOAJ
description The complex environment at grade crossings and the severe collision consequences give rise to the concern of safety condition at crossings among traffic control authorities. Optimizing conventional devices and applying emerging technologies are worthwhile measures to improve the safety conditions at grade crossings. In this study, a flashing-light running (FLR) warning system was proposed to reduce crossing violation and improve performances of drivers at flashing-light-controlled grade crossings (FLCGCs). Forty-four fully licensed drivers aged between 30 and 48 years participated in a driving simulator study to investigate the efficacy of two countermeasures of the system: proposed design of signs and pavement markings (PSM) for grade crossing, and two-stage in-vehicle audio warning (IVAW) technology. A range of flashing light trigger timing and two foggy conditions were designed in this experiment to test the system applicability. Drivers’ gender and vocation were considered as well to examine drivers’ adaptation to the new proposed system. Five variables were collected and analyzed in this study to investigate the effectiveness of the system, i.e., drivers’ compliance, approaching mean speed, brake reaction time, deceleration, and red-to-crossing time. Results showed that drivers’ driving performances were improved in both PSM only condition and PSM + W condition. The FLR warning system could eliminate the negative effects of foggy weather and reduce gender differences in driver behaviors to some extent. These findings suggested that the FLR warning system has a potential to reduce the probability of grade crossing collisions.
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publishDate 2019-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-275a92ccb7b548a090e3eb596ceb20e72025-08-20T02:04:48ZengWileyJournal of Advanced Transportation0197-67292042-31952019-01-01201910.1155/2019/24974592497459Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based StudyJingsi Yang0Xuedong Yan1Qingwan Xue2Xiaomeng Li3Ke Duan4Junyu Hang5Wanjun Li6MOT Key Laboratory of Transport Industry of Big Data Application Technologies for Comprehensive Transport, School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, ChinaMOT Key Laboratory of Transport Industry of Big Data Application Technologies for Comprehensive Transport, School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Urban Intelligent Traffic Control Technology, North China University of Technology, Beijing 100144, ChinaCentre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland (CARRS-Q), Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove 4059, Queensland, AustraliaMOT Key Laboratory of Transport Industry of Big Data Application Technologies for Comprehensive Transport, School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, ChinaMOT Key Laboratory of Transport Industry of Big Data Application Technologies for Comprehensive Transport, School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, ChinaMOT Key Laboratory of Transport Industry of Big Data Application Technologies for Comprehensive Transport, School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, ChinaThe complex environment at grade crossings and the severe collision consequences give rise to the concern of safety condition at crossings among traffic control authorities. Optimizing conventional devices and applying emerging technologies are worthwhile measures to improve the safety conditions at grade crossings. In this study, a flashing-light running (FLR) warning system was proposed to reduce crossing violation and improve performances of drivers at flashing-light-controlled grade crossings (FLCGCs). Forty-four fully licensed drivers aged between 30 and 48 years participated in a driving simulator study to investigate the efficacy of two countermeasures of the system: proposed design of signs and pavement markings (PSM) for grade crossing, and two-stage in-vehicle audio warning (IVAW) technology. A range of flashing light trigger timing and two foggy conditions were designed in this experiment to test the system applicability. Drivers’ gender and vocation were considered as well to examine drivers’ adaptation to the new proposed system. Five variables were collected and analyzed in this study to investigate the effectiveness of the system, i.e., drivers’ compliance, approaching mean speed, brake reaction time, deceleration, and red-to-crossing time. Results showed that drivers’ driving performances were improved in both PSM only condition and PSM + W condition. The FLR warning system could eliminate the negative effects of foggy weather and reduce gender differences in driver behaviors to some extent. These findings suggested that the FLR warning system has a potential to reduce the probability of grade crossing collisions.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/2497459
spellingShingle Jingsi Yang
Xuedong Yan
Qingwan Xue
Xiaomeng Li
Ke Duan
Junyu Hang
Wanjun Li
Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based Study
Journal of Advanced Transportation
title Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based Study
title_full Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based Study
title_fullStr Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based Study
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based Study
title_short Exploring the Effects of Signs’ Design and In-Vehicle Audio Warning on Driver Behavior at Flashing-Light-Controlled Grade Crossings: A Driving Simulator-Based Study
title_sort exploring the effects of signs design and in vehicle audio warning on driver behavior at flashing light controlled grade crossings a driving simulator based study
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/2497459
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