Public Roads: A Journal of Highway Research, Vol. 33, No. 11

Michaels, Richard M.; Blackwell, H. Richard; Schwab, Richard N.; Pritchard, B.S. · 1965 · ROSA P / United States. Government Printing Office

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the factors influencing drivers' choices between alternate highway routes, specifically testing whether subjective driver attitudes are a reliable predictor of route selection. The research was motivated by the need for a subjective measure to aid in highway design and traffic planning, as traditional economic metrics like operating costs and travel time had limited success in explaining passenger car driver behavior. The authors hypothesized that drivers evaluate routes based on stable, preexisting attitudes rather than random choice or purely objective trip characteristics. The study was conducted on two parallel 45-mile routes in Maine: the Maine Turnpike (a controlled-access toll road) and U.S. Route 1 (a rural primary highway). Researchers employed the Method of Summated Ratings to measure attitudes, administering a questionnaire to 3,259 drivers sampled at entry and exit points of both routes. The survey included 18 discriminative items regarding highway characteristics, alongside descriptive data on driver demographics, vehicle age, and trip details. Additionally, traffic volume and speed were recorded, and galvanic skin reflex tests were used to measure physiological tension in nine test drivers. The results demonstrated that driver attitudes were stable and significantly differentiated between the two routes. Drivers on the Turnpike held positive attitudes toward it, while those on U.S. 1 held negative attitudes. These attitudes were strongly correlated with actual route choice, proving to be a better predictor than descriptive information about the drivers or their specific trips. Attitudes were influenced by stable characteristics such as driver age and vehicle age; for instance, younger drivers and those with newer vehicles held more positive views of the Turnpike. Conversely, attitudes were independent of specific trip variables like purpose or number of occupants. The data indicated that drivers chose the Turnpike to minimize driving tension, suggesting that total stress incurred is a more significant determinant of route choice than operating costs or travel time savings. Furthermore, frequent travelers showed a shift toward more positive attitudes for the Turnpike, indicating that experience reinforces the preference for the expressway. The significance of this research lies in its validation of attitude scaling as a simple and effective tool for predicting highway facility usage. The findings challenge traditional economic models by showing that drivers prioritize tension reduction and subjective comfort over monetary costs or time savings. The study proposes a model of route choice based on tension generation, implying that highway planners should consider subjective driver evaluations and psychological comfort when designing and evaluating new or improved highways. This approach offers a rational, albeit subjective, basis for understanding traffic attraction and facility utilization.

Key finding

Direct measurement of driver attitudes toward highways is a far better predictor of route choice than descriptive information about the drivers or their driving habits.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 3259

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• roadway lighting effects
• visibility analysis litigation
• disability glare
• visual occlusion
• traffic density
• rail grade crossings

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data, observational prevalence
• Methodological Resource: validation psychometrics