Print Email Facebook Twitter Expecting the unexpected: A study of interactive driving behaviour at intersections Title Expecting the unexpected: A study of interactive driving behaviour at intersections Author Houtenbos, M. Contributor Hale, A.R. (promotor) Wieringa, P.A. (promotor) Faculty Trail Date 2008-01-08 Abstract Given the high number of encounters in traffic and the low number of accidents in which these result, it can be concluded that road users are quite good at interacting safely. To achieve a better understanding of this interactive behaviour, this thesis focused on road users' expectancies. In an explorative study, the aspects road users mention in their expectancies of interaction situations in traffic were studied. The mentioned aspects were distinguished into three categories: references to 1) right of way, 2) other road users and 3) the location of other road users (past, present and future). Subsequently, two experiments were conducted using linked driving simulators, which allowed for the study of interaction behaviour between two real people, rather than between a real and a pre-programmed road user. In the experiments, participants were confronted with expected and unexpected behaviour of a road user coming from an intersecting road. Additionally. in the second experiment, the interaction space was increased (by adjusting the infrastructure and providing information). The results showed that participants tended to take right of way when they were entitled to it, but also when they were confronted with another road user slowing down. Unexpected behaviour does not necessarily lead to a critically unsafe situation. The available interaction space is initially used to safely settle the interaction situation; additional interaction space is used to increase efficiency. It can be concluded that car drivers are quite capable of dealing with situations in which the behaviour of other car drivers is in conflict with the priority regulation if the interaction space allows for it. Subject traffic psychologyexpectancyinteraction behaviouradasmodellingtrafficdriving To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d8aeddfe-892e-4b95-9cce-7cbbdb3797cc Publisher TRAIL Research School ISBN 978-90-5584-095-3 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type doctoral thesis Rights (c) 2008 M. Houtenbos Files PDF trail_houtenbos_20080108.pdf 8.8 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:d8aeddfe-892e-4b95-9cce-7cbbdb3797cc/datastream/OBJ/view