2013 Subject Index: Research

• Setting a Framework in Support of Strategic Transport Technologies in Europe
  Abstract: The European Commission has set ambitious goals for the future of the European transport system in its 2011 White Paper on Transport. The White Paper presents a Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area paving the way towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system. In order for these goals to be achieved the Commission has also decided to develop a Strategic Transport Technologies Plan (STTP) as the White Paper’s research and innovation pillar. The STTP started with a wide stakeholder consultation and resulted in 2012 in a Communication by the Commission. The Communication summarizes the results of a first stocktaking of research and innovation in the EU transport sector. It reviews the shortcomings of Europe’s transport innovation system and presents initial proposals on how to tackle them. The aim is to ensure a coherent approach across various funding sources for research and innovation in transport for the next financial programming period and beyond. This plan will outline the priority fields of greatest relevance to research and innovation, address the efficiency of the innovation chain and propose specific actions to overcome barriers to deployment. This paper summarizes the steps taken thus far for the definition of the STTP, including the mapping of the capacities for research and innovation of the European transport sector, the scientific assessment of the various transport technologies and the prioritization exercise which accompanied it.
  Authors: Dilara, Panagiota; Rommerts, Marcel; Lonza, Laura
  Authors: Dilara, Panagiota; Rommerts, Marcel; Lonza, Laura
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Research (about research); Research
  Session: 329
  Paper Number: 13-0806
• Evaluating Impacts of the U.S. Domestic Scan Program’s Technology Transfer Model
  Abstract: The U.S. Domestic Scan program creates opportunities for face-to-face information sharing and knowledge building among transportation agency professionals on selected timely topics. Its goals are broad information dissemination and accelerated implementation of new transportation technologies and best practices. A companion to this program, described in this paper, was a study to formally assess how well the program was meeting these goals. The study employed different collection instruments, including online surveys, telephone interviews, and webinars, to learn the extent of follow-up activities for six early scans conducted through the U.S. Domestic Scan program. Investigators reached out to a range of stakeholders: scan participants, the project oversight panel, and, notably, nonparticipants--those individuals who learned about the scan secondhand through formal or informal channels. Results confirmed that the scans were achieving their core missions: Participants were making critical professional connections, sharing scan findings across a wide network of audiences, and making use of the findings at their home agencies. Nonparticipants were also found to use findings to support their own implementation efforts and to share the information with others, further propagating the ripple effect of information dissemination. Additional insights from the scan participants and oversight panel inform recommendations and best practices for technology transfer and accelerated implementation for any research program.
  Authors: Hirt, Brian G.
  Authors: Hirt, Brian G.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Education and Training; Research; Administration and Management
  Session: ABG30
  Paper Number: 13-0830
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• An Application of SHRP2's Transportation for Communities Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP): A Case Study in Colorado Springs
  Abstract: In 2011, the MPO for the Colorado Springs region volunteered to test an innovative web-based approach to planning called Transportation for Communities Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP). This tool was developed and launched by Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) funding. The process of learning, testing, planning and assessing the TCAPP for long range planning allowed PPACG staff to gain insights and recommendations on advancing TCAPP. PPACG also integrated a set of land use, conservation, and decision support tools with the TCAPP. Since the SHRP2’s TCAPP is transferable to other MPOs and regions, the information gathered in this report can extend the reach of this important web-based tool.
  Authors: Casper, Craig T.; Paz de Araujo, Maureen; Lupa, Mary R.; Crist, Patrick J.
  Authors: Casper, Craig T.; Paz de Araujo, Maureen; Lupa, Mary R.; Crist, Patrick J.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Education and Training; Research; Administration and Management
  Session: ABG30
  Paper Number: 13-0880
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Road Safety from the Perspective of Driver Attention Allocation
  Abstract: Allocating attention to surroundings is essential for maintaining situational awareness of the driving environment. However, shifting attention away from the front side inhibits perceptions of changes in traffic and roadway ahead. Thus, the key to safe driving is the adequate distribution of driver¡¦s attention to forward and non-forward areas. Using the concept of renewal cycle and 100-car naturalistic glance data, this study investigates the duration of drivers allocating attention to focal points under varying conditions. The results showed that drivers who transit vision consecutively to 2 or more non-forward focal points were more likely to fixate away from forward area for more than 2.0 s, the safety threshold used in this research. Moreover, different driving tasks and environmental complexities substantially contributed to changes in fixation duration, particularly when drivers transit vision away to more than one non-forward focal point. The results suggest that analyzing the fixation duration can be effective in evaluating the impact of task complexity on safety. Finally, when considering the behavior of vision transition among focal points, current 2.5-s perception reaction time standard in some adverse driving conditions may not satisfy drivers¡¦ performance of situational awareness. From the human factor perspective, driver attention allocation should be considered when designing roadway geometry and driver information systems.
  Authors: Wong, Jinn-Tsai; Huang, Shih-Hsuan
  Authors: Wong, Jinn-Tsai; Huang, Shih-Hsuan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Safety and Human Factors; Research
  Session: 435
  Paper Number: 13-1007
• Measuring the Impact of Technology Transfer Activity on Transportation Agencies
  Abstract: The Kirkpatrick training assessment model is the prime method of assessing the impact of training events. This method was primarily developed for execution in a corporate environment and researchers may encounter difficulty employing it to assess the impact of non-compulsory technology transfer events. Complications of applying the Kirkpatrick method in these types of events can result from the following for factors: 1) the inability to predict likely behavior changes in participants, 2) the widely varying and sometimes unknown backgrounds of participants, 3) the lack of a control group for learning assessment tests 4) unavailability of participants to be observed for behavior changes. This paper discusses a number of techniques that have been developed and have undergone field trials to supplement the Kirkpatrick assessment method and overcome these complications for non-compulsory technology transfer events. The techniques include; using personal information of participants to provide context in the analysis phase, the use of a crossover design in developing learning assessments; and the use of ethnographic research and data analysis techniques to provide a framework for Level Three and Level Four Kirkpatrick assessments.
  Authors: Colling, Timothy K.; Sproule, William J.; Kiefer, John
  Authors: Colling, Timothy K.; Sproule, William J.; Kiefer, John
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Education and Training; Research; Administration and Management
  Session: ABG30
  Paper Number: 13-2601
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Road Safety Differences Between Priority-Controlled Intersections and Right-Hand Priority Intersections: Behavioral Analysis of Vehicle-Vehicle Interactions
  Abstract: This study analyzes interactions between two vehicles at one right-hand priority intersection and one priority-controlled intersection. Data about yielding, looking behaviour, drivers’ age and gender, approaching behaviour, type of manoeuvre, order of arrival and communication between road users are collected by on-site observations and analyzed using logistic regression models. Models are built to identify variables that affect the probability that a violation against priority rules occurs, and the probability that a driver looks to the sides when entering the intersection.The number of right-of-way violations is higher at the right-hand priority intersection. Furthermore, at the right-hand priority intersection the behaviour of drivers on the secondary road is more cautious than the behaviour of drivers on the primary road, and violations are more likely when the driver from the secondary road has priority, indicating that the primary road is considered as an implicit main road. At both intersection types, there is a higher probability of a right-of-way violation when the no-priority vehicle arrives first, indicating that yielding is partly a matter of “first come, first serve”. The way a driver approaches the intersection (i.e., stopping, decelerating or holding the same speed) is highly determining for both the occurrence of a right-of-way violation and the probability that the driver looks to the sides.
  Authors: De Ceunynck, Tim; Polders, Evelien; Daniels, Stijn; Hermans, Elke; Brijs, Tom; Wets, Geert
  Authors: De Ceunynck, Tim; Polders, Evelien; Daniels, Stijn; Hermans, Elke; Brijs, Tom; Wets, Geert
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Safety and Human Factors; Research
  Session: 435
  Paper Number: 13-4266
• Investigating Speeding Behavior Using Naturalistic Approaches: Methodological Lessons Learned
  Abstract: Although speeding is a significant contributor to traffic fatalities, attempts to address this problem have not led to a significant reduction in speed-related fatalities. There are a number of inherent shortcomings in using primarily self-report surveys and crash data to learn more about why drivers speed and in selecting countermeasures that will most effectively address speeding behaviors. An emerging empirical approach is to study the speeding choices that drivers make under everyday driving conditions using naturalistic driving methods. Such an approach has the potential to yield highly informative data about speeding. These data, however, are complicated and prone to analytical confusion and uncertain interpretation if some key conceptual and methodological issues are not addressed. In this paper, we provide an overview of a naturalistic driving study that was intended to: (1) identify the reasons why drivers speed, (2) model the relative roles of situational, demographic, and personality factors in predicting travel speeds, (3) classify speeders, and (4) identify interventions/countermeasures and strategies for reducing speeding behaviors. We focus on discussing lessons learned associated with three methodological issues in particular (defining speeding, identifying a way to measure exposure, and obtaining accurate posted speeds) that were crucial to successfully analyzing the data that this study provided, and to generating useful results and conclusions. We believe that careful consideration of these issues will greatly benefit the traffic safety community, especially as we think about future analyses of naturalistic driving data.
  Authors: Richard, Christian M.
  Authors: Richard, Christian M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Safety and Human Factors; Research
  Session: 435
  Paper Number: 13-4671
• What Engineers Want: Identifying Transportation Professionals as an Audience for Research
  Abstract: With billions of dollars dedicated to transportation research, university faculty and graduate students across the nation are discovering solutions and products that will make our infrastructure safer and more efficient. Little research exists, however, regarding the best way to communicate these answers and advances in the state of the practice to transportation professionals in the field. Further, the available research does not treat transportation engineers as information consumers. The nation's infrastructure depends on an effective way to place vital findings into the hands of the users. This project included a preliminary literature review as well as an unprecedented survey of 175 transportation professionals. The survey explored the respondents' preferences for receiving transportation engineering research, ranking current methods such as hard and electronic copies, live transmissions, national transportation resource libraries, and social media networks. Results revealed that among professionals surveyed, the technical brief-typically a two-page summary was rated the most desired and effective research product. Conversely, respondents reported the technical brief was only the fifth most common way of receiving information. Other findings suggested that greater attention should be paid to search engines as access points for research results and succinct supplementary materials, such as PowerPoint presentations. Findings also suggested that funding agencies could easily adjust reporting requirements for transportation research to promote the creation of more effective informational products for working professionals. Future studies should continue to acknowledge transportation professionals as consumers to ensure this vital information can be transmitted into practice.
  Authors: Lefler, Valerie D.; Leibman, Caitie
  Authors: Lefler, Valerie D.; Leibman, Caitie
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Education and Training; Research
  Session: ABG10
  Paper Number: 13-5209
• Distraction, Experience, and Drivers’ Coping Strategy
  Abstract: The use of modern in-vehicle systems such as satellite navigation while driving can distract drivers and caused safety concerns. Although drivers can adopt strategies to cope with the additional task demand, these are not always apparent or effective, and it is not clear whether increased driving experience would improve this. This paper aims to provide an understanding of the effect of driving experience on the ability to perform in-vehicle tasks, including the impact on performance and visual behavior, and the coping strategies adopted. An on-road experiment was conducted using a set of in vehicle tasks to investigate the behavior and performance of three different driver groups, with experience ranging from less than 10 years to more than 21. The results show that the performance across all driver experience groups deteriorated as a consequence of the extra workload imposed by the in-vehicle tasks, and each group engaged in compensatory behaviors. However, the more experienced drivers performed better in both the driving and in-vehicle tasks, as they were more aware of the impact of these distractions. Furthermore, the most experienced drivers showed the deployment of advanced coping strategies / self-regulation to deal with the dual-tasking situation, which maximized safety with performance, and that prioritized driving over the in-vehicle tasks. These findings are consistent with control-maneuver-strategy behavior theory, i.e. as drivers become better at lower level behavior or vehicle control, they can improve their higher level behavior or awareness, but the highest level of strategic behavior can only be achieved through even greater experience.
  Authors: Yang, Yan; Reimer, Bryan; Mehler, Bruce; McDonald, Michael; Coughlin, Joseph F.
  Authors: Yang, Yan; Reimer, Bryan; Mehler, Bruce; McDonald, Michael; Coughlin, Joseph F.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Safety and Human Factors; Research
  Session: 435
  Paper Number: 13-3852
• Naturalistic Driving Observations of Manual Interactions with Navigation Systems and Mobile Phones During Driving
  Abstract: ABSTRACT This paper discusses a naturalistic driving study on the usage of a mobile phone and navigation system while driving. Manual interactions with these devices while driving can cause distraction from the driving task and reduce traffic safety. In this study 21 subjects were observed for 5 weeks. Their behaviour was logged by 4 camera's, a GPS sensor and a number of additional sensors. Results are presented on the durations and frequencies of manual interactions with the mobile phone and navigation system. Different manual subtasks with different levels of visual interaction are discussed, as well as how these interactions relate to driving speed. It seems that drivers actively and equally engage in interactions with their devices while stopped and while driving. For both devices the majority of interactions took less than 10 seconds. Time spent interacting with the device seems independent of the driving speed at which drivers started the interaction with the device. However, the results indicate that drivers do reduce their speed while interacting.
  Authors: Christoph, Michiel
  Authors: Christoph, Michiel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Research (about research); Safety and Human Factors; Research
  Session: 435
  Paper Number: 13-3981