Driver performance at horizontal curves: bridging critical research gaps to increase safety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55329/lmji8901Keywords:
horizontal curve, crash rate, countermeasure development, traffic volumeAbstract
Horizontal curve segments are locations of critical safety concern given their high crash rates. Extensive research has identified that behavioral factors influence the occurrence of such crashes. However, the most beneficial countermeasure for a curve is not always implemented or is implemented inefficiently due to a lack of full understanding of driver behavior at curves compared to tangent roadway segments. The aim of this research is to identify the conditions that impact safety at curve locations compared to tangent segment locations. This is completed through a literature review of current research relating to curve safety issues and a safety analysis of curve and tangent segment data using a novel dataset that includes curve data throughout a region. The results of this study revealed several factors that cause horizontal curves to have a higher crash rate related to driver performance, including the increased task load and demand required at curve segments compared to tangent segments, and that horizontal curve segments have an increased rate of crashes per mile with an increasing AADT compared to tangent segments. Further, horizontal curve segments along one-way operations are of increased safety concern for drivers compared to tangent segments and two-way operations. The results of this study present the conditions that can be more carefully considered in future studies and analyses to consider the human factor cause behind the increased safety issue at curve segments.
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Author Biographies
Alyssa Ryan, University of Arizona, USA
Alyssa Ryan, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural and Mechanics at the University of Arizona. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with a focus in transportation. She is also the Assistant Director of the Center for Applied Transportation Sciences (CATS) at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on transportation equity, safety, and human factors.
CRediT statement: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Visualization, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing.
Emily Hennessy, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Emily Hennessy is a civil engineering Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst specializing in transportation engineering. She also holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from The College of New Jersey and Rutgers University, respectively. A Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey, she has years of experience in transportation design and construction. Her current research focuses on transportation safety, accessibility, and equity, particularly for pedestrians.
CRediT statement: Investigation, Resources, Writing—original draft.
Chengbo Ai, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Chengbo Ai, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He received his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in Transportation Systems Engineering and his B.S. from Peking University in Electrical and Computing Engineering. His interdisciplinary research focuses on developing computational models, Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, and remote sensing hardware systems as they are applied in transportation asset management, geometry design, roadway safety, infrastructure preservation and maintenance, and many other critical transportation applications.
CRediT statement: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Resources, Writing—review & editing.
Wooseong Kwon, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Wooseong Kwon is a full-time Civil-Traffic Engineer I at AECOM. He holds a Civil Engineering B.S. degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst focusing on transportation engineering. He participated in several traffic/behavioral research studies as an undergraduate. One of his major undergraduate research projects was to develop bicyclists’ left-turn trajectory influenced by the sight distances based on their position on the roadway. Wooseong now performs traffic data analysis/simulations along with working on roadway plannings.
CRediT statement: Formal analysis, Resources.
Cole Fitzpatrick, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Cole Fitzpatrick, Ph.D. is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has over ten years of experience in transportation safety and human factors and specializes in the area of crash data analysis.
CRediT statement: Conceptualization, Resources.
Michael A. Knodler Jr., University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Michael A. Knodler Jr., Ph.D. is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the Director of the UMass Transportation Center, which includes the Bay State Roads Program (Massachusetts LTAP), Massachusetts Traffic Safety Research Program (UMassSAFE), and a newly formed Aviation Program. Prof. Knodler is also the Co-Director of the Arbella Human Performance Laboratory (HPL), which includes multiple driving and bicycle simulators. He serves as an Associate Director for the Safety Research Using Simulation (Safer-Sim) UTC. His research mostly focuses upon traffic operations and safety along with roadway design and transportation education.
CRediT statement: Conceptualization, Resources.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Alyssa Ryan, Emily Hennessy, Chengbo Ai, Wooseong Kwon, Cole Fitzpatrick, Michael A. Knodler Jr.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
