title: Impact of road environment on drivers' behaviors in dilemma zone: Application of agent-based simulation.
abstract: At a signalized intersection, there exists an area where drivers become indecisive as to either stop their car or proceed through when the traffic signal turns yellow. This point, called a dilemma zone, has remained a safety concern for drivers due to the great possibility of a rear-end or right-angle crash occurring. In order to reduce the risk of car crashes at the dilemma zone, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) recommended a dilemma zone model. The model, however, fails to provide precise calculations on the decision of drivers because it disregards the supplemental roadway information, such as whether a red light camera is present. Hence, the goal of this study was to incorporate such roadway environmental factors into a more realistic driver decision-making model for the dilemma zone. A driving simulator was used to determine the influence of roadway conditions on decision-making of real drivers. Following data collection, each driver's decision outcomes were implemented in an Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) so as to analyze behaviors under realistic road environments. The experimental results revealed that the proposed dilemma zone model was able to accurately predict the decisions of drivers. Specifically, the model confirmed the findings from the driving simulator study that the changes in the roadway environment reduced the number of red light violations at an intersection.
authors.affiliation: Systems and Industrial Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Sojung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Systems and Industrial Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA. Electronic address: son@sie.arizona.edu.
authors.forename: Young-Jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Yi-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Leidos, Inc., McLean, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Anne B
authors.initials: MAB
authors.lastname: Jeffers
authors.affiliation: Office of Safety Research & Development, Federal Highway Administration, McLean, VA, USA.
authors.forename: C Y David
authors.initials: CYD
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003657:Decision Making; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Agent-based simulation (ABS); Dilemma zone behavior; Driver decision; Intersection safety