Between 2005 and 2009, single-vehicle run-off-road (ROR) crashes on two-lane rural-roadway horizontal curves have resulted in an average of 4,748 fatalities per year. Driving while familiar with the roadway, inattentive, and in a hurry have been identified as factors that increase the likelihood of these crashes. The goal of the present study was to evaluate methods that elicit familiarity with the roadway, inattention, and driving in a hurry. Fourteen participants drove a simulated two-lane rural roadway. Familiarity was elicited by having participants drive the test route seven times. Two methods to elicit inattention were used: mental mathematics problems and noun classification. Two methods to elicit being in a hurry were used: with visual travel time feedback and without. The method to elicit familiarity with the roadway resulted in significant changes in behavior when compared to driving while unfamiliar. Results suggested that solving mental mathematics problems was more effective in producing driving behaviors associated with inattention than noun classification. Both methods to elicit being in a hurry were effective in producing noticeable changes in behavior when compared to driving while not under time pressure. The promise of using these elicitation methods in driving simulators to evaluate engineering countermeasures to ROR crashes on two-lane rural-roadway horizontal curves is discussed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract