This report gives an account of activity 2a of the Dutch long-term plan for fundamental research `Sustainable safety environment and road user behaviour'. The report firstly summarizes the relations between a `sustainably safe' road design and road user behaviour, as these were described in the original basic document. An inventory was made of the extent to which the evaluation studies carried out in the framework of demonstration projects provide indications concerning the relationships between behavioural parameters and accidents. The report subsequently outlines that the anticipated studies will focus on `distributors' inside and outside built-up areas. Road stretches and intersections will be studied separately. Three complementary research methods are anticipated: (1) static observation of behaviour to obtain rough indications of the behaviour of large samples of road users; (2) dynamic behaviour registration, using an instrumented vehicle. Both research methods are used in field studies; and (3) simulator research. The studies will include measurements of both functional (such as visual search) and behavioural parameters. The road design that appears to cause undesired behaviour will be studied in more detail in the simulator.
Abstract