Effectiveness and Optimal Location of Real-Time Traffic Conflict Risk Warning System for Rural Unsignalized Intersections: A Driving Simulation Study

Abstract

The real-time traffic conflict risk warning system (RTCRWS) is proposed as a new proactive crash prevention and control strategy for intersections designed to reduce traffic on the main road to rural unsignalized intersections when a vehicle enters the access roads. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of the RTCRWS with different locations based on a driving simulation experiment. In this study, four types of the RTCRWS installation location schemes (i.e., no installation, 50 m/100 m/150 m away from the unsignalized intersection) are designed. Twenty-two experienced drivers participated in the driving simulation experiment, and seven evaluating indicators representing driving behavior data are proposed. Two methods to analyze the data are applied: (1) descriptive analysis of driving behavior characteristics different location schemes of the RTCRWS and (2) entropy weight-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of the RTCRWS. The results show that the RTCRWS has a significant effect on slowing vehicles when approaching the rural unsignalized intersections. If the location of the RTCRWS is 50 m, 100 m, and 150 m from the intersection, the comprehensive score of fuzzy evaluation is 75.82, 74.91, and 77.22, respectively, which implies that the scheme with the RTCRWS 150 m ahead of the intersection is the most effective.