The influence of environmental factors on speed choice

Speed and homogeneity of speed are important factors for safe and sustainable traffic. Lower speeds and more homogeneous speeds are safer and cause less pollution. Speed behavior is influenced by environmental factors as well as by personal factors. Understanding the relation between speed behaviour and the influencing factors offers clues for appropriate countermeasures against inappropriate and excessive speed. This study investigates the relation between speed and environmental factors for single lane rural roads, one of the most hazardous road types in the Netherlands. The study uses data from two provincial road authorities. Data consists of speed data from loop detectors, road design characteristics, characteristics of the road environment, and police enforcement. The first objective of this study is to validate the outcomes of earlier studies reported in literature, such as photograph studies and self reported speed behaviour studies. In this study, the influence of the same external factors on percentile speed measures and homogeneity measures from speed loops are investigated. A second objective is to refine the credibility models by adding external factors, if relevant. The results of this study replicate some of the results that were found earlier, but not all. No additional factors were found; results and consequences will be discussed.

[1]  Stefan Brandenburg,et al.  AN INTEGRATIVE MODEL FOR THE PREDICTION OF OVERSPEEDING , 2010 .

[2]  Tarek Sayed,et al.  Quantitative Evaluation of Highway Safety Performance Based on Design Consistency , 2006 .

[3]  Christina M. Rudin-Brown,et al.  Title and sub-title : Road design factors and their interactions with speed and speed limits , 2011 .

[4]  Per Tillgren,et al.  Speed cameras in Sweden and Victoria, Australia--a case study. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[5]  D. Twisk,et al.  Dynamic speed limits; effects on homogeneity of driving speed , 2008, 2008 IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium.

[6]  Michael Kyte,et al.  Effect of Environmental Factors on Driver Speed: A Case Study , 1998 .

[7]  Charles Goldenbeld,et al.  The credibility of speed limits on 80 km/h rural roads: The effects of road and person(ality) characteristics. , 2007, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[8]  Kim S. Sankey,et al.  Relationships between young drivers' personality characteristics, risk perceptions, and driving behaviour. , 2008, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[9]  E. Reed.  The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception , 1989 .

[10]  R. Fuller.  Towards a general theory of driver behaviour. , 2005, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[11]  Nicole van Nes,et al.  Towards Safe Speeds and Credible Speed Limits , 2010 .

[12]  Tom Brijs,et al.  Additional road markings as an indication of speed limits: results of a field experiment and a driving simulator study. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[13]  Helena Stigson,et al.  Literature review of pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed. , 2011, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[14]  Patrick De Pelsmacker,et al.  The effect of norms, attitudes and habits on speeding behavior: scale development and model building and estimation. , 2007, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[15]  Ingrid van Schagen,et al.  Driving speed and the risk of road crashes: a review. , 2006, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[16]  Charles Goldenbeld,et al.  The effects of speed enforcement with mobile radar on speed and accidents. An evaluation study on rural roads in the Dutch province Friesland. , 2005, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[17]  Stefan Brandenburg,et al.  Improving homogeneity by dynamic speed limit systems. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[18]  Nicole van Nes,et al.  Safe Speeds and Credible Speed Limits (SaCredSpeed): New Vision for Decision Making on Speed Management , 2009 .

[19]  A Nilsson.  Re-allocating road space for motor vehicles to bicycles: effects on cyclists' opinions and motor vehicle speed , 2001 .

[20]  Samuel G Charlton,et al.  Using endemic road features to create self-explaining roads and reduce vehicle speeds. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[21]  A. Agresti,et al.  Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences , 1979 .

[22]  E Manninen,et al.  The effect of resurfacing on friction, speeds and safety on main roads in Finland. , 1998, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[23]  R. Davidse,et al.  The effects of an edgeline on speed and lateral position: a meta-analysis. , 2004, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[24]  Mark A. Elliott,et al.  Road design measures to reduce drivers' speed via 'psychological' processes : a literature review , 2003 .

[25]  Alvin Alm,et al.  The Environment in the 21st Century , 1993 .

[26]  P Delhomme,et al.  Reducing air-pollution: a new argument for getting drivers to abide by the speed limit? , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[27]  R. Wilcox.  Applying Contemporary Statistical Techniques , 2003 .

[28]  Jacob Cohen.  Statistical Power Analysis , 1992 .

[29]  P. Hancock,et al.  The influence of perceptual speed regulation on speed perception, choice, and control: tunnel wall characteristics and influences. , 2007, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[30]  Marieke Hendrikje Martens,et al.  THE EFFECTS OF ROAD DESIGN ON SPEED BEHAVIOUR: A LITERATURE REVIEW , 1997 .