Driving the wrong way on motorways has been a nagging traffic safety problem all over the world. In order to reduce wrong-way driving incidents and crashes, roadside wrong-way warning systems applying advanced ITS （i...Driving the wrong way on motorways has been a nagging traffic safety problem all over the world. In order to reduce wrong-way driving incidents and crashes, roadside wrong-way warning systems applying advanced ITS （intelligent transportation systems） technologies have been adopted and deployed for the first time at 24 rest areas on motorways in Japan since 2008. The systems are used to detect wrong-way vehicles and warn the drivers of their wrong-way driving at the off-ramps to the rest areas. This paper describes an evaluation of the roadside wrong-way warning systems with four different types of sensors from the viewpoint of detection accuracy and effectiveness in preventing wrong-way driving. The sensing technology includes microwave Doppler radar, ultrasonic sensor, photoelectric sensor and video image processing technology.展开更多
Each year, hundreds of fatal wrong-way driving （WWD） crashes occur across the United States. Thousands of injuries are reported in crashes caused by wrong-way drivers. Traffic control devices （TCDs）, i.e., signs, ...Each year, hundreds of fatal wrong-way driving （WWD） crashes occur across the United States. Thousands of injuries are reported in crashes caused by wrong-way drivers. Traffic control devices （TCDs）, i.e., signs, pavement markings, and signals, have been introduced since 1935 to combat this problem. The aim of the paper is to provide a complete history of TCDs for deterring WWD on freeways and divided highways in previous versions of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices （MUTCD） （1935-2009）. A fully referenced overview of definitions, text passages, and figures of the TCDs, employed to deter WWD in all MUTCD versions, will be given to characterize the changes over time. In addition, the efforts that have been made by state department of transportation （DOT） especially over the past few years to aggressively attack WWD by deploying standard TCDs are reviewed. Finally, the paper makes conclusions and recommendations with regard to the necessity of a revision in the next edition of MUTCD for WWD TCDs. The investigation of changes and the current practice leave a trail to enable traffic engineers and policy makers to consider past decisions and their effectiveness in combating WWD, as well as providing a reference to determine whether or not their jurisdiction meets the MUTCD standards.展开更多
Based on past studies, exit ramp terminals are the common locations for drivers to enter a physically separated highway in the wrong direction. Currently, many drivers, especially nonlocal drivers, often rely on voice...Based on past studies, exit ramp terminals are the common locations for drivers to enter a physically separated highway in the wrong direction. Currently, many drivers, especially nonlocal drivers, often rely on voice-guided navigation apps and Global Positioning System （GPS） devices to navigate their routes on and off freeways. A few studies have reported that GPS devices sometimes give drivers wrong information and cause wrong-way entry into a freeway, especially at some confusing interchanges, such as partial cloverleaf and compressed diamond interchanges. The access points located close to exit ramps may also cause a problem for GPS devices in sending accurate voice-guidance. It is unknown if current GPS devices are capable of properly informing drivers regarding turning movements in advance of exit ramp terminals at some common interchanges. The objective of this study is to evaluate the most commonly used GPS devices/navigation apps to identify existing problems and their potential for reducing wrong-way driving （WWD） incidents at interchange terminals. Field experiments were conducted at 10 common freeway interchanges or interchanges with nearby access driveways in the state of Alabama. Results show that most GPS devices have difficulty in providing correct guidance when the spacing between an access point and an exit ramp is less than 300 feet. Our comparison of five different GPS devices used on the same routes reveals that navigation apps have more limitations in guiding drivers than stand-alone GPS devices. Recommendations are offered to help GPS mapping companies improve their devices or add new features to reduce the occurrence of WWD.展开更多
文摘Driving the wrong way on motorways has been a nagging traffic safety problem all over the world. In order to reduce wrong-way driving incidents and crashes, roadside wrong-way warning systems applying advanced ITS （intelligent transportation systems） technologies have been adopted and deployed for the first time at 24 rest areas on motorways in Japan since 2008. The systems are used to detect wrong-way vehicles and warn the drivers of their wrong-way driving at the off-ramps to the rest areas. This paper describes an evaluation of the roadside wrong-way warning systems with four different types of sensors from the viewpoint of detection accuracy and effectiveness in preventing wrong-way driving. The sensing technology includes microwave Doppler radar, ultrasonic sensor, photoelectric sensor and video image processing technology.
文摘Each year, hundreds of fatal wrong-way driving （WWD） crashes occur across the United States. Thousands of injuries are reported in crashes caused by wrong-way drivers. Traffic control devices （TCDs）, i.e., signs, pavement markings, and signals, have been introduced since 1935 to combat this problem. The aim of the paper is to provide a complete history of TCDs for deterring WWD on freeways and divided highways in previous versions of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices （MUTCD） （1935-2009）. A fully referenced overview of definitions, text passages, and figures of the TCDs, employed to deter WWD in all MUTCD versions, will be given to characterize the changes over time. In addition, the efforts that have been made by state department of transportation （DOT） especially over the past few years to aggressively attack WWD by deploying standard TCDs are reviewed. Finally, the paper makes conclusions and recommendations with regard to the necessity of a revision in the next edition of MUTCD for WWD TCDs. The investigation of changes and the current practice leave a trail to enable traffic engineers and policy makers to consider past decisions and their effectiveness in combating WWD, as well as providing a reference to determine whether or not their jurisdiction meets the MUTCD standards.
文摘Based on past studies, exit ramp terminals are the common locations for drivers to enter a physically separated highway in the wrong direction. Currently, many drivers, especially nonlocal drivers, often rely on voice-guided navigation apps and Global Positioning System （GPS） devices to navigate their routes on and off freeways. A few studies have reported that GPS devices sometimes give drivers wrong information and cause wrong-way entry into a freeway, especially at some confusing interchanges, such as partial cloverleaf and compressed diamond interchanges. The access points located close to exit ramps may also cause a problem for GPS devices in sending accurate voice-guidance. It is unknown if current GPS devices are capable of properly informing drivers regarding turning movements in advance of exit ramp terminals at some common interchanges. The objective of this study is to evaluate the most commonly used GPS devices/navigation apps to identify existing problems and their potential for reducing wrong-way driving （WWD） incidents at interchange terminals. Field experiments were conducted at 10 common freeway interchanges or interchanges with nearby access driveways in the state of Alabama. Results show that most GPS devices have difficulty in providing correct guidance when the spacing between an access point and an exit ramp is less than 300 feet. Our comparison of five different GPS devices used on the same routes reveals that navigation apps have more limitations in guiding drivers than stand-alone GPS devices. Recommendations are offered to help GPS mapping companies improve their devices or add new features to reduce the occurrence of WWD.
