Influence of Socio-Demographic, Experience, and Geometric Factors on Drivers' Ability to Distinguish Sharpness of Consecutive Horizontal Curves

• Published in: Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies Vol. 15; pp. 2367 - 2384
• Main Authors: ATIF, Mohd, SIL, Gourab, MAJI, Avijit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies 2024
• Subjects: confusion matrix; consecutive horizontal curves; curve sharpness; experience; four-lane divided highways; Socio-demography
• ISSN: 1881-1124
• DOI: 10.11175/easts.15.2367

About 25-30% of fatal crashes occur on horizontal curves, with 60-70% as single-vehicle run-off-road (ROR) crashes. Driver errors are one of the primary reasons for such crashes resulting from inexperience, distraction, and poor perception. This study evaluated the effects of drivers' age, type, experience, education, use of eyeglasses, and radii of consecutive curves on their ability to distinguish differences in curve sharpness. The preliminary survey revealed that static and dynamic curve presentation methods are statistically comparable. Fifty-seven 3D static consecutive curve combinations of four-lane divided highways were developed using AutoCAD® Civil 3D to record driver responses. Confusion matrices for the curve combinations were estimated to examine false negative rates (FNR) of driver groups. The results revealed that socio-demographic and experience factors do not influence drivers' FNR. Critical curve combinations were identified based on FNR, which could be beneficial in geometric design for improving consistency and safety.