Can Special Traffic Engineering Design Improve the Safety of Off-Ramp Areas with Poor Visibility—A Study Based on Driving Simulator

This study uses a real expressway project with poor visibility in off-ramp areas. A simulator collected driving behavior data from testers that drove from the main road to the off-ramp under general or special design of the exit guidance system. The results show that the drivers change lanes to the outside lane earlier and more smoothly before the poor visibility off-ramp under the special design. Maximum deceleration behavior occurs before the off-ramp action point in the outside lane. Also, the special design reduces the impact on the main traffic flow. However, emergency braking happens in the 100 m range of the outer lane in front of the action point, which impacts the lane’s main traffic flow. The specific design of the guidance system can improve driving safety away from the main lane, but further study is needed to determine if it can help main traffic flow in the left two lanes.