Title:
Driver Onset Braking Time: The Uncertainty Involved With Approaching an Intersection

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Author(s)
Ryan, Christopher
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Abstract
Many automobile accidents occur at intersections, which are often controlled by stop signs and traffic lights. Understanding how a driver interprets, anticipates, and responds to stop signs and traffic lights could help increase the safety and usability of these devices. How drivers brake when approaching traffic control devices of differing levels of uncertainty was examined and compared. The uncertainty associated with the variable message presented in a traffic light was compared to a stop sign. A series of videos depicting these scenarios were shown to drivers, and their brake onset times were recorded. It was discovered that drivers began braking sooner when approaching a stop sign compared to approaching a traffic light. Several other interactions were also investigated, but found to be of no significance.
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2008-05-05
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Undergraduate Thesis
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