Global Seminar | The impact of road design on traffic safety

Abstract

Reducing driving speed plays a crucial role in promoting road safety as it not only lowers the likelihood of traffic accidents but also decreases their severity. Moreover, speed reduction is an economical and highly efficient strategy to tackle noise pollution. Conventional measures such as speed limits and law enforcement have their merit but also limitations since drivers fail to perceive risks related increased driving speed and
adherence to speed limits is generally low.

A complementary measure to achieve speed reduction and adherence to speed limits is the adaptation of road design. Road design has been found to be critical factor determining drivers’ (risk) perceptions and ultimately their speed choice. Against this background, the presentation reviews psychological explanations of the impact of road design on perceptions and behaviour.

These psychological considerations are the foundation for two experimental studies, using a virtual-reality (VR) driving simulator. These studies investigate the impact of road design on perceptions, behavioural intentions and on speed choice and aim to add to better understanding of the impact on behavior and its psychological determinants. Finally, the presentation will discuss practical implications for road design. In addition, the presentation addresses the advantages and disadvantages of using VR technologies to study drivers’ behaviors.

Presenter

external pageDorothea Schaffnercall_made
Professor of Applied Psychology, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland
School of Applied Psychology