Do Advance Yield Markings Increase Safe Driver Behaviors at Unsignalized, Marked Midblock Crosswalks?: Driving Simulator Study

Gómez, Radhameris A.; Samuel, Siby; Gerardino, Luis Roman; Romoser, Matthew R. E.; Collura, John; Knodler, Michael; Fisher, Donald L. · 2011 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3141/2264-04

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Summary

This study investigates whether advance yield markings (AYMs) improve driver safety behaviors at unsignalized, marked midblock crosswalks compared to standard yield markings (SYMs), specifically under sight-limited conditions where vehicle obstructions block the view of pedestrians. The research was motivated by the high frequency of pedestrian crashes at nonintersection crossings, particularly when drivers cannot see pedestrians emerging from behind stopped vehicles. Because staging such high-risk scenarios on public roads is unsafe, the authors utilized a high-fidelity driving simulator to test driver responses to potential vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. The experimental design involved 24 participants (ages 18–30) who were randomly assigned to either an AYM or SYM condition. Participants navigated a virtual urban environment while performing a secondary cognitive task (identifying subjects/objects in spoken sentences) to increase cognitive load. Each drive consisted of nine scenarios varying the presence of visual obstructions (work zones) and pedestrians. The critical test occurred in the final scenario, where a pedestrian suddenly emerged from behind an obstruction into the crosswalk. Dependent variables included crash/near-crash occurrences, yielding behavior, and gaze patterns, measured via eye-tracking data defined by specific launch and target zones. Results indicated that AYMs significantly enhanced safety outcomes. The total number of crashes was more than eight times higher under the SYM condition (n=16) than under the AYM condition (n=2), a difference that was statistically significant ($\chi^2 = 17.4, p < .001$). In the final sight-limited scenario, drivers in the SYM group experienced 10 crashes, whereas drivers in the AYM group had zero crashes, though they experienced eight near-crashes. Gaze analysis revealed that drivers exposed to AYMs glanced toward potential pedestrian hazards more frequently (53.85% vs. 39.93%) and sooner. Specifically, when an obstruction was present, drivers in the AYM condition glanced toward the hazard 66.67% of the time, compared to 40.3% for the SYM condition ($\chi^2 = 10.1, p < .002$). The findings demonstrate that AYMs are effective in prompting earlier visual scanning and yielding behaviors, thereby reducing the likelihood of collisions in high-risk, sight-limited environments. The study highlights the utility of driving simulators for evaluating traffic safety treatments in scenarios that are too dangerous to replicate in field studies. While AYMs did not eliminate all near-misses, the substantial reduction in actual crashes suggests that these markings serve as a critical cue for drivers to maintain vigilance and prepare to yield, even when visual cues for pedestrian presence are obscured.

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• driver vru interaction
• rail grade crossings