title: Effects of major-road vehicle speed and driver age and gender on left-turn gap acceptance.
abstract: Because the driver's gap-acceptance maneuver is a complex and risky driving behavior, it is a highly concerned topic for traffic safety and operation. Previous studies have mainly focused on the driver's gap acceptance decision itself but did not pay attention to the maneuver process and driving behaviors. Using a driving simulator experiment for left-turn gap acceptance at a stop-controlled intersection, this study evaluated the effects of major traffic speed and driver age and gender on gap acceptance behaviors. The experiment results illustrate relationships among drivers' left-turn gap decision, driver's acceleration rate, steering action, and the influence of the gap-acceptance maneuver on the vehicles in the major traffic stream. The experiment results identified an association between high crash risk and high traffic speed at stop-controlled intersections. The older drivers, especially older female drivers, displayed a conservative driving attitude as a compensation for reduced driving ability, but also showed to be the most vulnerable group for the relatively complex driving maneuvers.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Transportation Systems Simulation, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-2450, United States. yxd22222@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Xuedong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Essam
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Radwan
authors.forename: Dahai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009038:Motion; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012449:Safety; D012737:Sex Factors; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis