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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Examining The Impact Of Centerline Rumble-Strip Installation In Prevention Of Head-On And Opposite Sideswipe Collisions In Maine, Jhan Kevin Gil Marin
Examining The Impact Of Centerline Rumble-Strip Installation In Prevention Of Head-On And Opposite Sideswipe Collisions In Maine, Jhan Kevin Gil Marin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Among all traffic collisions, lane departure crashes are the leading type of serious traffic crashes in Maine, comprising 72% of state-wide traffic fatalities. To reduce these crashes, Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) installed shoulder and centerline rumble strips on roadways to prevent lane departure crashes in Maine. With a total installed length of 1503 miles of rumble strips, specifically 511 miles of centerline rumble strips in bidirectional and undivided rural two-lane roadways, there is a need to understand the impact of rumble strips in reducing lane departure crashes. In this thesis, observational before-after studies with two methods: comparison group, and …
Using Probe Data To Understand The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Roadway Safety, Ennis W. Marshall
Using Probe Data To Understand The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Roadway Safety, Ennis W. Marshall
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic there was an observed decrease in traffic safety in the United Sates. New England was no exception to this, with traffic fatality rates increasing in Maine and Connecticut. This increase was attributed to the possibility that drivers had more opportunities to speed following the implementation of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders on roads with drastically reduced volume and decreased speed enforcement. To determine the state of research into the pandemic's effect on traffic safety around the world, an extensive critical review was conducted. The reviewed studies showed that roadways did indeed become less safe with …
Modeling Driver Distraction Mechanism And Its Safety Impact In Automated Vehicle Environment., Song Wang
Modeling Driver Distraction Mechanism And Its Safety Impact In Automated Vehicle Environment., Song Wang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Automated Vehicle (AV) technology expects to enhance driving safety by eliminating human errors. However, driver distraction still exists under automated driving. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has defined six levels of driving automation from Level 0~5. Until achieving Level 5, human drivers are still needed. Therefore, the Human-Vehicle Interaction (HVI) necessarily diverts a driver’s attention away from driving. Existing research mainly focused on quantifying distraction in human-operated vehicles rather than in the AV environment. It causes a lack of knowledge on how AV distraction can be detected, quantified, and understood. Moreover, existing research in exploring AV distraction has mainly …
Traffic Conflict Analysis Under Fog Conditions Using Computer Simulation, Binya Zhang
Traffic Conflict Analysis Under Fog Conditions Using Computer Simulation, Binya Zhang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The weather condition is a crucial influence factor on road safety issues. Fog is one of the most noticeable weather conditions, which has a significant impact on traffic safety. Such condition reduces the road's visibility and consequently can affect drivers' vision, perception, and judgments. The statistical data shows that many crashes are directly or indirectly caused by the low-visibility weather condition. Hence, it is necessary for road traffic engineers to study the relationship of road traffic accidents and their influence factors. Among these factors, the traffic volume and the speed limits in poor visibility areas are the primary reasons that …
Multi-Level Safety Performance Functions For High Speed Facilities, Mohamed Ahmed
Multi-Level Safety Performance Functions For High Speed Facilities, Mohamed Ahmed
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
High speed facilities are considered the backbone of any successful transportation system; Interstates, freeways, and expressways carry the majority of daily trips on the transportation network. Although these types of roads are relatively considered the safest among other types of roads, they still experience many crashes, many of which are severe, which not only affect human lives but also can have tremendous economical and social impacts. These facts signify the necessity of enhancing the safety of these high speed facilities to ensure better and efficient operation. Safety problems could be assessed through several approaches that can help in mitigating the …
A Comprehensive Severity Analysis Of Large Vehicle Crashes, Haluk Laman
A Comprehensive Severity Analysis Of Large Vehicle Crashes, Haluk Laman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this thesis is to determine the contributing factors affecting severe traffic crashes (severe: incapacitating and fatal - non-severe: no injury, possible injury, and non-incapacitating), and in particular those factors influencing crashes involving large vehicles (heavy trucks, truck tractors, RVs, and buses). Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) crash reports of 2008 have been used. The data included 352 fatalities and 9,838 injuries due to large vehicle crashes. Using the crashes involving large vehicles, a model comparison between binary logit model and a Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) decision tree model is provided. There were …
Improving Traffic Safety And Drivers' Behavior In Reduced Visibility Conditions, Hany Mohamed Hassan
Improving Traffic Safety And Drivers' Behavior In Reduced Visibility Conditions, Hany Mohamed Hassan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study is concerned with the safety risk of reduced visibility on roadways. Inclement weather events such as fog/smoke (FS), heavy rain (HR), high winds, etc, do affect every road by impacting pavement conditions, vehicle performance, visibility distance, and drivers’ behavior. Moreover, they affect travel demand, traffic safety, and traffic flow characteristics. Visibility in particular is critical to the task of driving and reduction in visibility due FS or other weather events such as HR is a major factor that affects safety and proper traffic operation. A real-time measurement of visibility and understanding drivers’ responses, when the visibility falls below …
Assessment Of The Safety Benefits Of Vms And Vsl Using The Ucf Driving Simulator, Cristina Dos Santos
Assessment Of The Safety Benefits Of Vms And Vsl Using The Ucf Driving Simulator, Cristina Dos Santos
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have been working during the past few years on different strategies to improve freeway safety in real-time. An ongoing research at UCF has investigated crash patterns that occurred on a stretch of Interstate-4 located in Orlando, FL and created statistical models to predict in real-time the likelihood of a crash in terms of time and space. The models were then tested using PARAMICS micro-simulation and different strategies that would reduce the risk of crashes were suggested. One of the main recommended strategies was the use of Variable Speed Limits (VSL) which intervenes …
Modeling Crash Frequencies At Signalized Intersections In Central Flor, Smitha Kowdla
Modeling Crash Frequencies At Signalized Intersections In Central Flor, Smitha Kowdla
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A high percentage of highway crashes in the United States occur at intersections. These crashes result in property damage, lost productivity, injury, and even death. Identifying intersections associated with high crash rate is very important to minimize future crashes. The purpose of this study is to develop efficient means to evaluate intersections, which may require safety improvements. The area covered by the analysis in this thesis includes Orange and Seminole Counties and the City of Orlando. The aforementioned counties and city thus represent Central Florida. Each County/City provided data that consisted of signalized intersection drawings that were either in the …