This driving simulator study evaluates some variants of speed-reducing measures on driving behaviour, before applying these measures on 80 km/h roads in the Dutch province of Drenthe. The experimental conditions consisted of two lane widths (2.75 meter and 2, 25 meter), and of three experimental layouts of edge strips. These layouts included a continuous profiled road marking, small lateral rumble strips every 5 meter, and strips every 10 meter. The 2.75 m traffic lane had an 0.20 m edge strip. The 2.25 m lane had an 0.70 m edge strip. A conventional 80 km/h road with both a standard delineation and with a 2.75 m lane width was included as a control condition. The variables that were varied between the subjects were: (1) a winding road versus long straight road sections; and (2) normal driving versus driving under time pressure. The results show that the experimental conditions with the narrow lane width give the largest speed reductions in comparison with the standard 80 km/h road. The narrow lane width reduces particularly the speeds of drivers under time pressure. The different layouts of the edge strips reveal relatively small differences in driving behaviour.
Abstract