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Where do novice and experienced drivers direct their attention on approach to urban rail level crossings?

Where do novice and experienced drivers direct their attention on approach to urban rail level crossings?
Where do novice and experienced drivers direct their attention on approach to urban rail level crossings?
Crashes at rail level crossings (RLXs) remain a persistent but ill-defined safety issue. In urban areas, RLXs are typically located in areas of high workload and visual clutter, such as busy shopping strips. Despite this, the impact of such environments on driver behaviour and compliance with RLX controls is not well understood. This study sought to examine where drivers direct their attention on approach to urban RLXs located in busy shopping strip areas, and whether this differs between novice and experienced drivers. Participants drove an instrumented vehicle around a pre-defined urban route containing several active (flashing light with boom barriers) RLXs. Drivers’ visual scanning behaviour and cognitive processes were examined on approach to RLXs. The results suggest that RLXs were not a key focus of drivers’ attention. Further, rather than actively scanning, participants were over-reliant on RLX warning signals and the behaviour of surrounding vehicles to alert them to the presence of both trains and RLXs. This study provides important insights into drivers’ visual and cognitive behaviour on approach to urban RLXs located in areas of high visual demand
rail level crossings, road safety, on-road study, instrumented vehicle, novice drivers
0001-4575
1-11
Young, K.L.
fb5acef4-6a18-4bf5-baaf-3a60b1460132
Lenne, M.G.
885d4396-ec78-4bf9-aac3-c7fb4eb414ae
Beanland, V.
db90a568-d5cd-4a45-9fc7-1d73ca66f0e2
Salmon, P.M.
e96abc65-12e8-4c75-8c1c-1cb986e0492f
Stanton, N.A.
351a44ab-09a0-422a-a738-01df1fe0fadd
Young, K.L.
fb5acef4-6a18-4bf5-baaf-3a60b1460132
Lenne, M.G.
885d4396-ec78-4bf9-aac3-c7fb4eb414ae
Beanland, V.
db90a568-d5cd-4a45-9fc7-1d73ca66f0e2
Salmon, P.M.
e96abc65-12e8-4c75-8c1c-1cb986e0492f
Stanton, N.A.
351a44ab-09a0-422a-a738-01df1fe0fadd

Young, K.L., Lenne, M.G., Beanland, V., Salmon, P.M. and Stanton, N.A. (2015) Where do novice and experienced drivers direct their attention on approach to urban rail level crossings? Accident Analysis & Prevention, 77, 1-11. (doi:10.1016/j.aap.2015.01.017). (PMID:25661565)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Crashes at rail level crossings (RLXs) remain a persistent but ill-defined safety issue. In urban areas, RLXs are typically located in areas of high workload and visual clutter, such as busy shopping strips. Despite this, the impact of such environments on driver behaviour and compliance with RLX controls is not well understood. This study sought to examine where drivers direct their attention on approach to urban RLXs located in busy shopping strip areas, and whether this differs between novice and experienced drivers. Participants drove an instrumented vehicle around a pre-defined urban route containing several active (flashing light with boom barriers) RLXs. Drivers’ visual scanning behaviour and cognitive processes were examined on approach to RLXs. The results suggest that RLXs were not a key focus of drivers’ attention. Further, rather than actively scanning, participants were over-reliant on RLX warning signals and the behaviour of surrounding vehicles to alert them to the presence of both trains and RLXs. This study provides important insights into drivers’ visual and cognitive behaviour on approach to urban RLXs located in areas of high visual demand

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 26 January 2015
Published date: April 2015
Keywords: rail level crossings, road safety, on-road study, instrumented vehicle, novice drivers
Organisations: Transportation Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 382298
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/382298
ISSN: 0001-4575
PURE UUID: b39a571b-8001-4c37-8821-f282bf463cfa
ORCID for N.A. Stanton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8562-3279

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 30 Oct 2015 09:23
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:33

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Contributors

Author: K.L. Young
Author: M.G. Lenne
Author: V. Beanland
Author: P.M. Salmon
Author: N.A. Stanton ORCID iD

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