DRIVER BEHAVIOR DURING THE YELLOW INTERVAL (ABRIDGMENT)

The purpose of this report is to provide an understanding of driver characteristics during the yellow interval, to determine the ability of drivers to stop in time, and to present a method for determining the length of the clearance interval for urban intersections. The data collected from the one intersection help answer the following questions: What do drivers do when the signal changes to yellow? How fast a deceleration rate will drivers accept when the signal changes to yellow? How long should the clearance period be to satisfy the drivers' needs? Results and interpretations are given for the probability of stopping as a function of distance, velocity, and potential time. Conclusions are presented on driver characteristics and the method of determining the length of the clearance interval.