An Investigation of Traffic Characteristics and Their Effects on Driver Behaviors in Intersection Crossing-Path Maneuvers

Vehicular safety research activities have been active in recent years with a focus on the developments of driver assistance systems. Intersection collision is a primary category of roadway safety concerns that can benefit from vehicle-based as well as infrastructure-based solutions. This paper provides a discussion of traffic characteristics and their effects on driver behaviors in intersection across-path turning scenarios. The techniques of data analysis explained in this paper rely on the use of data from field observation. The results offer some insight on the understanding of driver risk-taking behaviors in specific maneuvers. Through the investigation of traffic data and the associated analysis, the criteria for selecting warning threshold for driver assistance can be properly defined. Furthermore, the necessity of adjusting warning timing and criteria under different traffic conditions is explored. In all, the work reported in the paper represents a first step in establishing the guidelines for eventual deployment of suggested intersection safety systems.