Driver Behavior on Exit Freeway Ramp Terminals Based on the Naturalistic Driving Study
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 149, Issue 1
Abstract
Using trip data from the SHRP-2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) database collected at 12 sites in three states across the United States, this paper investigates driver behavior at freeway exit ramp terminals. First, the study qualitatively assesses driver speed behavior as they navigate the speed change lane (SCL) and the ramp. Starting at the beginning of the SCL and continuing after diverging onto the ramp controlling curve, a trend of continuous vehicle deceleration was evident, which continued throughout the SCL and ramp. It was also evident that a portion of drivers have a tendency to diverge onto the SCL on the taper and before the SCL has begun, where this behavior is dominant on the taper-type SCL. In general, statistical analysis revealed that the speed measures of driver behavior follow a normal distribution. The speed and deceleration measures at the study sites were statistically and significantly different, with the differences likely related to the geometric characteristics of each site. The data were then used to develop prediction models for the speed and deceleration measures. To account for the repeated measures induced by the same drivers in the dataset, linear-mixed models were developed for the speed and deceleration behavior measures.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available in a repository online in accordance with funder data retention policies. (https://insight.shrp2nds.us/login/auth). Some or all data, models, or code used during the study were provided by a third party. Direct requests for these materials may be made to the provider as indicated in the Acknowledgments.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank and gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in Canada and Umm Al-Qura University. The authors also thank Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) for their help in providing the naturalistic driving behavior data. The findings and conclusions of this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the VTTI, SHRP-2, the Transportation Research Board, or the National Academy of Science.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 149 • Issue 1 • January 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 20, 2021
Accepted: Aug 31, 2022
Published online: Oct 29, 2022
Published in print: Jan 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Mar 29, 2023
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Cited by
- Xin Tian, Mengmeng Shi, Mengyu Shao, Binghong Pan, Calculation Method of Deceleration Lane Length and Slope Based on Reliability Theory, Sustainability, 10.3390/su151713081, 15, 17, (13081), (2023).
- Fayez Alamry, Yasser Hassan, Driver Behavior Performance at Freeway Exit Ramp Terminals: Investigation and Modeling, Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems, 10.1061/JTEPBS.TEENG-7628, 149, 5, (2023).