Evaluation of Driver Workload and Training Strategies on a Diverging Diamond Interchange
The amount of information processed by drivers in freeways and arterials increases significantly at interchanges. The information includes changes in alignment and number of lanes, lane position, merging and diverging from the main road, change of safe vehicle speed according to the alignment changes, and the need for attention to various types of road signs. Therefore, negotiating interchanges is a very complex and demanding task. Many studies have been looking at innovative designs to improve safety concerns while reducing urban congestion. One of those innovative intersections is the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) that will be implemented for the first time in Puerto Rico in the state road PR-30 Km 4.1 in Gurabo, PR. Since this is the first time that this type of intersection is implemented in Puerto Rico, the proposed research study aims to determine which training strategy is better suited to effectively communicate drivers the correct way to drive along with this type of intersection. To assess the safety and operational effectiveness of the training strategies, a detailed study on how local drivers behave and the mental workload experienced when driving through the proposed DDI for the first time will be performed. A new factor included in this research is the drivers’ cognitive workload or brain workload. This variable will be evaluated using various biosensors, included with the dry-electrode DSI-24 EEG headset and the algorithms to measure workload that has been developed by the providers of this type of equipment. The comparison of the effect of the strategies will be evaluated using the driving simulator of UPRM. The identification of the best training strategies would allow state, local, and federal institutions to use them in their educational and awareness campaigns.
- Record URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- Received 3 month no-cost extension due to delays from COVID
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $24185
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Contract Numbers:
69A3551747131
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
University of Iowa, Iowa City
National Advanced Driving Simulator, 2401 Oakdale Blvd
Iowa City, IA United States 52242-5003 -
Performing Organizations:
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying
PO Box 9000
Mayagüez PR 00681-9000, PR United States 00681-9000 -
Principal Investigators:
Valdes Diaz, Didier
Colucci, Benjamin
Figueroa, Alberto
- Start Date: 20200601
- Expected Completion Date: 20200831
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Algorithms; Cognition; Driver training; Drivers; Driving simulators; Evaluation and assessment; Workload
- Identifier Terms: Diverging diamond interchange
- Geographic Terms: Puerto Rico
- Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01738855
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Safety Research Using Simulation University Transportation Center (SaferSim)
- Contract Numbers: 69A3551747131
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: May 7 2020 12:37PM