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A Comparison Of The Efficacy Of Gutter Pan And Curb Top Placement With A Full Gateway Configuration Of The In-Street Sign On Driver Yielding To Pedestrians, Erik Newton

Masters Theses

Driver yielding behavior at crosswalks directly affects pedestrian safety. In this study we examined whether the placement of the signs in the gutter pan or on top of the curb, while using a full gateway configuration of the in-street sign, influenced the efficacy of the treatment. Data were collected at sites using both in gutter and on top of curb full gateway configurations. The gutter pan configuration resulted in a higher percentage of driver yielding behavior to pedestrians in the crosswalk. The gateway treatment was shown to be more effective in the gutter pan configuration than the curb top configuration …

The Effects Of Gateway Width On Driver Yielding To Pedestrians: A Systematic And Parametric Analysis, Jonathan M. Hochmuth

Masters Theses

The gateway in-street sign treatment has been demonstrated to be a cost-effective method for increasing driver yielding behavior at crosswalks. In the present study, wide and narrow gateway widths were compared at two sites to determine if there was a differential effect on driver yielding behavior. Then, the relationship between width and yielding was refined with a parametric analysis at one of these sites. Gateway width was varied in two-foot intervals from 12ft to 18ft. The results indicated an inverse relationship between gateway width and driver yielding behavior. There are likely two variables related to this effect. First, because drivers …

Investigating Teenage Drivers' Driving Behavior Before And After Lag (Less Aggressive Goals) Training Program, Jingyi Zhang

Masters Theses

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death during adolescence, with the fatal crash rate per mile-driven for 16-19 years old drivers being nearly 3 times larger than the rate for drivers age 20 and older. High gravitational events among teenage drivers, such as quick starts, and hard stops, have been shown to be highly correlated with crash rates. The current younger driver training programs developed in the late 1990s, however, do not appear to be especially effective in regard to many skills which are critical to avoiding crashes. With this in mind, a simulator-based training program aimed at …

The Effect Of Innovative Technology On Seatbelt Use, Bryan W. Hilton

Masters Theses

A previous pilot study documented that providing sustained haptic feedback to the gas pedal when a driver exceeded 25mph with his seatbelt unbuckled and removing the feedback contingent on seatbelt use increased seatbelt use in 7 commercial drivers. This study replicated this effect with 20 young drivers who did not consistently wear their seatbelt.

In the current study unbuckled drivers received increased accelerator pedal resistance when they exceeded 20 mph. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was employed for this study. The dependent variable was percentage of trips driven without seatbelt use. The independent variable was an increase accelerator pedal resistance …