Driving Simulator Study Conducted in Louisiana Found Time to Collision Increased by 15.1 Percent with Vehicle-to-Vehicle Warnings Compared to Base Scenario.
Driving Simulator Study Incorporating a Hurricane Scenario Found Safety Benefits from Connected and Automated Vehicle Technologies.
Louisiana, United States
Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) Passenger and Freight Vehicle Applications to Enhance Safety and Efficiency in Coastal Evacuations
Summary Information
Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) technology offers the potential to improve traffic efficiency and safety by providing real-time information on traffic, road, and surrounding conditions. Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications are two major components of CAVs. This project investigated drivers’ response and acceptance to the CAVs in terms of V2I and V2V, during a hurricane evacuation. The driving simulator experiment considered two scenarios and had 79 driver participants.
METHODOLOGY
The simulated road network used in the driving simulator consisted of a four-lane divided highway with a total length of approximately 5.8 miles. The surroundings and exits were designed to look similar to a segment of eastbound I-10 in Louisiana. Drivers were informed through an audio message that a hurricane was coming and they were evacuating to reach a shelter. The first driving simulator scenario was a base scenario with no warnings, while the second scenario included three V2I warning messages and one V2V warning message. The V2I messages included a rain warning, a congestion warning, and alternate route information. Meanwhile, the V2V message was about a potential rear end crash with the leading vehicle. The warnings were provided through both an in-vehicle display and audio messages. In addition to average speed changes, time-to-collusion (TTC), which is the time left before a crash if both vehicles keep their current speed and direction, was used for evaluation. User surveys were also collected.
FINDINGS
- Results indicated that average speed was reduced by 5.8 percent (49.72 mph compared to 52.76 mph) and mean minimum TTC increased by 15.1 percent (15.26 seconds compared to 17.56 seconds) with V2V potential crash warnings compared to the base scenario.
- The average speed decreased from approximately 58.16 mph to 53 mph (an 8.9 percent reduction) after the rain warning message was provided. Over 80 percent of drivers who participated in the experiment reported that the V2I and V2V messages were either "extremely useful" or "useful."
- The findings showed that approximately 90 percent of drivers responded to V2I rain warnings, V2V potential crash alerts, and V2I alternate route guidance. In contrast, fewer than 50 percent of drivers complied with V2I congestion warnings.
