Interaction between car drivers and vulnerable road users at roundabouts

Vignali, Valeria; Lamperti, Riccardo; Bichicchi, Arianna; Lantieri, Claudio · 2016 · Crossref

DOI: 10.15406/mojce.2016.01.00018

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Summary

This study investigates the interaction between car drivers and vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) at roundabouts, addressing the safety gap where roundabouts, while generally safer than signalized intersections, may not ensure secure accessibility for non-motorized users. The research is motivated by the need to understand driver behavior—specifically visual scanning and decision-making mechanisms—to inform the design of cycling and pedestrian paths. The authors argue that current design approaches often overlook the psychological interaction between drivers and road infrastructure, focusing instead solely on transportation aspects. The experimental study involved 19 drivers (14 men, 5 women, mean age 27.8 years) with at least five years of driving experience. Participants drove a BMW 1 Series equipped with a VBOX PRO data logger for speed and acceleration recording, and an ASL Mobile Eye-XG eye tracker to record eye movements at 30Hz. The test route was an 8.5km secondary road in Castenaso, Italy, featuring two large roundabouts (60m diameter) with pedestrian and bicycle tracks located outside the circular ring. Data collection occurred during non-peak hours under sunny conditions. The analysis focused on vehicle velocity, gaze duration on specific road signs, and eye movement patterns during entry, circulation, and exit maneuvers. The results revealed a significant asymmetry in driver attention between entering and exiting the roundabouts. When approaching the intersection, drivers decelerated significantly (average drop of 13.23 km/h) and allocated 68.70% of their visual attention to the pedestrian-cyclist crossing, recognizing it at an average distance of 40.5 meters. In contrast, when exiting, drivers accelerated (average increase of 7.75 km/h) despite visualizing the crossing at a similar distance (40 meters). Exiting drivers failed to check the crossing area for vulnerable users, maintaining high speeds and posing a safety risk. Additionally, drivers showed low attention to specific cycling and pedestrian path signs, with only 23% noticing entrance signs and 9% noticing exit signs. Vertical signs were also largely ignored, with only half of users observing the give-way sign. The study concludes that drivers exhibit a higher level of caution and attention toward vulnerable users when entering a roundabout than when exiting. This behavioral disparity highlights a critical safety vulnerability in current roundabout designs. The authors recommend specific design guidelines to mitigate these risks, including spacing crossings further from the ring on exit lanes, using central islands to separate crossing legs, and ensuring crossings are positioned to allow vulnerable users to pass behind waiting vehicles. The findings emphasize that road safety design must account for driver visual behavior and that driver education plays a crucial role in accident reduction. Future research is suggested to verify these results under nighttime conditions.

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Topics

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• driver vru interaction
• eye movements scanning
• intersection design