Evaluating the Effectiveness of Visual and Auditory ADAS Alerts on Rural Roads Using a Driving Simulator

Cruzado, Ivette; Valdes, Didier; Figueroa-Medina, Alberto M; Solano, Alvaro · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.18687/laccei2025.1.1.2018

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Summary

This study addresses the critical safety issue of traffic fatalities on rural roads, which disproportionately affect rural populations despite their smaller share of the total population. In Puerto Rico, 58% of traffic fatalities occur on rural roads, with speeding identified as a major contributing factor. While infrastructure countermeasures like rumble strips have been implemented, the authors investigate the potential of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to further enhance safety. Specifically, the research evaluates the effectiveness of visual (image) and auditory (voice) alerts in promoting speed compliance and safe driving behavior in a simulated rural environment. The researchers conducted a driving simulation study using 48 participants aged 18–80, balanced by gender and age groups. The simulation replicated PR-114, a two-lane rural highway in western Puerto Rico, based on historical crash data indicating high risks from "Entering Intersection at an Angle" and "Same Direction Turning" collisions. The experimental design employed a factorial approach with blocking for age and gender, testing four ADAS variants: audio-only, visual-only, combined audio-visual, and a control condition with no ADAS. Participants navigated three scenarios: encountering a heavy vehicle invading the lane, encountering a slow-moving vehicle, and free-flow conditions. Data on speed, acceleration, and reaction time were collected using a high-fidelity simulator and analyzed via descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results indicated that visual alerts were the most effective method for promoting speed compliance. In scenarios involving heavy and slow-moving vehicles, the image-only ADAS variant resulted in average speeds closest to or below the posted 45 mph limit and was rated as the most efficient system. The combined audio-visual variant also performed well, particularly in free-flow conditions where it produced the most stable speed profiles with the least variation. Conversely, the audio-only alert was the least effective, often failing to significantly reduce speeds compared to the control group. Statistical analysis confirmed that visual cues significantly influenced driver behavior, with the image-only sensor achieving the highest efficiency ratings across high-risk scenarios. The study concludes that visual ADAS alerts are superior to auditory alerts for encouraging speed compliance on rural roads. The findings suggest that integrating visual speed monitoring displays into vehicle systems could serve as an effective countermeasure to reduce speeding-related crashes in rural environments. This research highlights the importance of modality in ADAS design, indicating that visual feedback may be more impactful than auditory warnings for maintaining safe speeds, thereby offering a pathway to mitigate the high fatality rates associated with rural road travel.

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-09; verification: verified.

Topics

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• perceptual countermeasures
• adas effectiveness
• external distraction
• auditory warnings

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence
• Methodological Resource: tool software, validation psychometrics