The interrelationships between speed limits, geometry, and driver behavior: a proof-of-concept study utilizing naturalistic driving data

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisor Peter T. Savolainen
dc.contributor.author Hamzeie, Raha
dc.contributor.department Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
dc.date 2018-08-11T21:48:13.000
dc.date.accessioned 2020-06-30T03:00:38Z
dc.date.available 2020-06-30T03:00:38Z
dc.date.copyright Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2016
dc.date.embargo 2001-01-01
dc.date.issued 2016-01-01
dc.description.abstract <p>Speed management has been an extensive focus of traffic safety research dating back to the 1960's. Research has generally shown crash risk to increase as the average speed of traffic increases and as the standard deviation of travel speeds increases within a traffic stream. However, research as to the effects of speed limits has been somewhat inconclusive.</p> <p>This study investigates how speed limits affect driver speed selection, as well as the resultant crash risk, while controlling for various confounding factors such as traffic volumes and roadway geometry. Data are obtained at very high resolution from a Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) conducted as a part of the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2). These data are integrated with a Roadway Information Database (RID), which provides extensive details as to roadway characteristics in the six-state study area (Florida, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington.) These sources are used to examine how driver speed selection varies among freeways with different posted speed limits, and how the likelihood of crash/near-crash events change with respect to various speed metrics.</p> <p>Regression models are estimated to assess three measures of interest: the average speed of vehicles during the time preceding crash, near-crash, and baseline (i.e., normal) driving events; the variation in travel speeds leading up to each event as quantified by the standard deviation in speeds over this period (i.e. the average acceleration/deceleration rate); and the probability of a specific event resulting in a crash or near-crash based on speed selection and other salient factors.</p> <p>Significant correlation was observed with respect to speed selection behavior among the same individuals and particularly within a single driving event. Mean speeds are shown to increase with speed limits. However, these increases are less pronounced at higher speed limits. Drivers tend to reduce their travel speeds along horizontal or vertical curves, under adverse weather conditions, and particularly under heavy congestion. Increases in average travel speed and the variability in travel speeds are both found to increase crash risk. Crash risk also increases on vertical curves and ramp junctions, as well as among the youngest and oldest age groups of drivers.</p> <p>Ultimately, this research provides an important demonstration of how naturalistic driving data may be leveraged to examine driver behavior and research questions of interest that are difficult or impractical through other empirical settings. The results also provide important insights that provide greater understanding of how drivers adapt their speed selection behavior in response to posted speed limits and other roadway characteristics.</p>
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.identifier archive/lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/14989/
dc.identifier.articleid 5996
dc.identifier.contextkey 8880987
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-180810-4594
dc.identifier.s3bucket isulib-bepress-aws-west
dc.identifier.submissionpath etd/14989
dc.identifier.uri https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/handle/20.500.12876/29173
dc.language.iso en
dc.source.bitstream archive/lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/14989/Hamzeie_iastate_0097M_15728.pdf|||Fri Jan 14 20:29:39 UTC 2022
dc.subject.disciplines Civil Engineering
dc.subject.disciplines Transportation Engineering
dc.subject.keywords Civil Engineering
dc.subject.keywords Transportation Engineering
dc.subject.keywords driver behavior
dc.subject.keywords geometry
dc.subject.keywords naturalistic driving study
dc.subject.keywords SHRP2
dc.subject.keywords speed limit
dc.title The interrelationships between speed limits, geometry, and driver behavior: a proof-of-concept study utilizing naturalistic driving data
dc.type article
dc.type.genre thesis
dspace.entity.type Publication
thesis.degree.discipline Civil Engineering (Transportation Engineering)
thesis.degree.level thesis
thesis.degree.name Master of Science
File
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Name:
Hamzeie_iastate_0097M_15728.pdf
Size:
634.29 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Theses and Dissertations