{"title":"Evaluating the impact of managed lane separation lines on driver behavior and safety: A human factors study","authors":"Sharfuddin Ahmed, Hatem Abou-Senna","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.103357","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Delineators along with separation lines are commonly used managed lane (ML) delineation systems in United States. These separation lines, positioned alongside delineators, provide visual cues to enhance lane discipline by clearly marking the width of separation between ML and general-purpose lanes (GPL), thus guiding drivers to maintain appropriate lateral positioning. Two types of lines are typically employed in MLs: double solid lines, which represent wider separation widths, and single solid lines, indicating narrower widths. Although the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acknowledges the effectiveness of combining separation lines with delineators for guiding driver behavior, the specific impacts of different separation lines remain understudied. Given the limited research in this area, this study investigates the comparative effects of single and double solid lines on driver behavior and safety within ML. A driving simulator and an eye tracking device are utilized to capture drivers’ responses to the separation lines under different driving conditions including time of day, traffic density and visibility. Data was collected from 60 participants from different age groups and genders, and four key performance measures (deceleration, speed, lane deviation and detection time) were considered to evaluate driving behavior. The results showed that separation lines have a significant effect on drivers’ speeding and lane following behavior. With double solid lines, drivers exhibited more cautious entry into the ML and better speed performance while they tended to show greater lane deviation. Furthermore, it was found that the double solid lines have better visibility than single solid lines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103357"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847825003122","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Delineators along with separation lines are commonly used managed lane (ML) delineation systems in United States. These separation lines, positioned alongside delineators, provide visual cues to enhance lane discipline by clearly marking the width of separation between ML and general-purpose lanes (GPL), thus guiding drivers to maintain appropriate lateral positioning. Two types of lines are typically employed in MLs: double solid lines, which represent wider separation widths, and single solid lines, indicating narrower widths. Although the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acknowledges the effectiveness of combining separation lines with delineators for guiding driver behavior, the specific impacts of different separation lines remain understudied. Given the limited research in this area, this study investigates the comparative effects of single and double solid lines on driver behavior and safety within ML. A driving simulator and an eye tracking device are utilized to capture drivers’ responses to the separation lines under different driving conditions including time of day, traffic density and visibility. Data was collected from 60 participants from different age groups and genders, and four key performance measures (deceleration, speed, lane deviation and detection time) were considered to evaluate driving behavior. The results showed that separation lines have a significant effect on drivers’ speeding and lane following behavior. With double solid lines, drivers exhibited more cautious entry into the ML and better speed performance while they tended to show greater lane deviation. Furthermore, it was found that the double solid lines have better visibility than single solid lines.
期刊介绍:
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour focuses on the behavioural and psychological aspects of traffic and transport. The aim of the journal is to enhance theory development, improve the quality of empirical studies and to stimulate the application of research findings in practice. TRF provides a focus and a means of communication for the considerable amount of research activities that are now being carried out in this field. The journal provides a forum for transportation researchers, psychologists, ergonomists, engineers and policy-makers with an interest in traffic and transport psychology.