The solar powered actively illuminated road stud was developed by Astucia, part of the Clearview Group, UK. Astucia commissioned TRL to conduct a driving simulator study to investigate the effects of the introduction of actively illuminated road studs on driving behaviour at night. The simulator used a Honda Civic family hatchback. The trial route was based on a generic rural A road, 37.1 km in length. Driver behaviour was examined at six bends where the curve radius fell below 150 m. Thirty-six drivers took part in the trial, drawn from three age groups. Each driver drove the trial route twice, once with active studs and once with passive studs. The route also had stretches of road with no studs. Participants completed questionnaires before and after the trial. The active studs were associated with improved road positioning, particularly on bends, increased awareness of the road configuration ahead, and better vehicle control. Drivers felt safer with active studs. The average speed was approximately 3 mph higher when studs were present but there were no significant differences in speed between the active and passive studs.
Abstract