Zhendong Wu , Wenxiang Duan , Guocui Liu , Xiaoqun Ai
{"title":"Evaluating the effects of brake light flicker frequency on cognitive conspicuity during visual dark adaptation: A 360-degree simulated driving study","authors":"Zhendong Wu , Wenxiang Duan , Guocui Liu , Xiaoqun Ai","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Upon entering tunnel entrance and transition zones, drivers experience the “black hole effect” which necessitates visual adaptation due to reduced illumination. This phenomenon increases the risk of rear-end collisions. While the brake lights are crucial for traffic safety, strategies to enhance visibility under dark adaptation conditions require further investigation. Existing research has primarily focused on the general properties and effects of the brake lights. However, conclusive results regarding the optimal flicker frequency for the brake lights remain elusive.</div><div>This study evaluates the impact of the flicker brake lights on vehicle conspicuity across various tunnel zones using two simulated driving experiments in 360° video-based Virtual Reality: a search conspicuity experiment (N = 30) assessing drivers’ reaction times to the brake lights, and an attention conspicuity experiment (N = 34). Analysis of eye-tracking data and braking response time reveals that flicker brake lights significantly improve vehicle conspicuity compared to constant lights across tunnel. In the entrance zone, no significant differences in braking time, time to first fixation (TTF), fixation durations, or fixation counts were observed between higher frequency (10 Hz) and lower frequency (4 Hz) flicker brake lights. In the transition zone, however, higher frequency flicker lights resulted in shorter reaction times, shorter TTF, longer fixation durations, and increased fixation counts in comparison to lower frequency flicker lights and constant lights, indicating enhanced search and attention conspicuity.</div><div>These results provide evidence-based insights for designing brake light flicker frequencies to enhance drive safety during tunnel driving.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 247-259"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143479186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Factors influencing car owners’ intentions of using shared cars: An extension of the theory of planned behavior in China","authors":"Gendao Li , Qi Sun , Zhaohui Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As traffic congestion and environmental pollution escalate with rising private car ownership, shared mobility, particularly car-sharing, emerges as a sustainable alternative. Building on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study extends the framework by integrating six novel predictors: perceived usefulness, perceived cost, novel experience, perceived risk, driving habit, and perceived environmental value. Through a nationwide survey administered via SoJump, 399 valid responses (95.2% validity rate) were analyzed. Results demonstrate that perceived usefulness and perceived cost significantly enhance both behavioral attitudes and intention to use, while novel experience strengthens attitudes and perceived behavioral control. Conversely, perceived risk and driving habits significantly intention to use. Notably, perceived environmental value showed no significant effect. These findings offer actionable insights: policymakers should prioritize cost subsidies and risk mitigation, while operators should leverage novelty-driven design to accelerate shared mobility adoption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 230-246"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the non-users’ acceptability of autonomous vehicle hailing services using SEM-ANN-NCA approach","authors":"Xu Duan , Hongyun Si , Xin Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Autonomous vehicle hailing services (AVHSs) incorporate automated technology and shared mobility, resulting in a significant shift in human mobility. To popularize AVHSs, this research aims to develop a conceptual model based on the stimulus-organism-response paradigm to comprehend the formation mechanism of the non-users’ acceptability. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were applied to capture the linear and nonlinear relationships among factors of the conceptual model. With “sufficiency logic” and “necessity logic”, PLS-SEM and necessary condition analysis (NCA) were used to determine “must have” and “should have” factors. The empirical analysis revealed that government support, information publicity, and social influence positively have different degrees of influence on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived safety, then influencing the acceptability of AVHSs. In addition, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived safety are both “must have” and “should have” factors for acceptability. The research findings help policymakers and business practitioners determine the marketing promotion priorities for AVHSs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 211-229"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143436850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How encounter timing affects the impact of eHMI on surrounding drivers during automated truck merging","authors":"Jongseong Gwak, Keisuke Shimono, Yoshihiro Suda","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Automated driving has emerged as a potential solution to address the shortage of drivers in the logistics industry. For its implementation, it is crucial to ensure the acceptance of drivers surrounding automated vehicles. This study focused on examining how the external Human Machine Interface (eHMI) of automated trucks, along with the timing of encounters at highway junctions, can influence the driving behavior and acceptance of surrounding drivers. A driving simulator scenario was used to investigate visual behaviors, subjective evaluations, and driving performance when drivers encountered an automated truck at a highway junction. The findings suggest that the eHMI can positively influence safety by reducing the visual reaction time of surrounding drivers. However, depending on the timing of the encounter with the automated truck, the eHMI may potentially complicate avoidance decisions for surrounding drivers. Therefore, it is essential to carefully utilize the eHMI, considering the truck’s location at a merging area or its interaction with infrastructure facilities, to facilitate better decision-making for surrounding drivers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 182-194"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143428275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Drivers’ use of front crash prevention, lane departure warning and prevention, and speed warning systems","authors":"Aimee E. Cox, Ian J. Reagan, Jessica B. Cicchino","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.01.037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.01.037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Crash avoidance technologies can aid with the driving task and reduce crashes, but only if used. This study measured use of front crash prevention, lane departure (i.e., lane departure warning or prevention), and speed warning systems (i.e., systems that alert the driver when traveling above the speed limit).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We observed activation rates of systems that retain their last setting with each ignition cycle on over 2,000 model year 2017 to 2023 vehicles from six manufacturers serviced at branded dealerships in the Washington, DC, metro area in 2023. We analyzed vehicle and driver demographic characteristics to identify factors associated with system use.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Automatic emergency braking was enabled on 93% of vehicles, ranging from 86% to 100% by manufacturer. Lane departure systems were activated on 87% of vehicles, ranging from 56% to 99% by manufacturer. Lane departure system activation rates were higher for systems with prevention capabilities than warning only capabilities and that were activated through a settings menu versus a button. Visual speed warnings were activated on 71% of vehicles, and 14% of vehicles with an audible speed warning had the audible alert on.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Driver use of lane departure systems has improved over time, which may be due to more lane departure prevention systems and design changes that made them more acceptable. Early use of visual speed warning alerts is strong, and we provide manufacturers and engineers suggestions of ways to improve the acceptability of audible speed warning alerts, which are effective at reducing speeding behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 195-210"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143436849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing effectiveness of intersection conflict warning system on driving performance under obstructed line of sight at unsignalized intersection","authors":"Yashasvi Rachakonda, Digvijay S. Pawar","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intersection Conflict Warning System (ICWS) is an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology that has been recognized as a solution to reduce crashes at unsignalized intersections. It consists of activated warning signs and sensors that detect vehicles approaching an intersection, transmitting a warning signal to potentially conflicting vehicles on other approaches. The current study examines the effect of ICWS on drivers driving performance while approaching an unsignalized intersection under obstructed line of sight. Four scenarios were developed to evaluate the effectiveness of ICWS. Driving performance measures such as mean and standard deviation of speed and deceleration, and driver factors such as age and number of driving days per week were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Furthermore, duration variables such as response time and speed reduction time were modelled using Weibull Accelerated Failure Time (AFT) duration model. The study insights showed statistical differences among the four scenarios for all driving performance measures. The developed model revealed that with activated ICWS, drivers exhibited longer speed reduction times and shorter response times. This implies that with the activated ICWS, drivers managed to respond to the conflicting vehicle beforehand, resulting in less abrupt braking behaviour and collision avoidance at the intersection. The study highlights the significance of ICWS and will assist traffic engineers and road safety authorities in designing and implementing ICWS at unsignalized intersections in developing world traffic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 128-147"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143422204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luisa Katharina Heinrich , Yanbin Wu , Linda Miller , Luise Metzger , Ken Kihara , Toshihisa Sato , Satoshi Kitazaki , Martin Baumann
{"title":"Ready to transition? Strategies to bring drivers back into the loop upon requests to intervene in conditionally automated driving","authors":"Luisa Katharina Heinrich , Yanbin Wu , Linda Miller , Luise Metzger , Ken Kihara , Toshihisa Sato , Satoshi Kitazaki , Martin Baumann","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Technology advances and regulatory efforts allow car manufacturers to introduce conditionally automated driving systems into the market. These systems permit drivers to temporarily disengage from the driving task. However, as long as systems are not fully automated, transitions between different levels of automation are necessary and imply shifts in the driver's role and responsibilities. For example, inattention or distraction may impair the driver's ability to take over safely in the case of system limits. Therefore, this work investigates the effect of two transition strategies - monitoring the environment and initiating a maneuver - on bringing drivers back into the loop and ensuring safe driving performance during requests to intervene in Level 3 automated systems (also referred to as take-over requests). Additionally, these strategies could be employed to keep drivers in and on the loop during transitions to lower levels of automation without requiring a manual take-over. For example, when a required driving maneuver would violate traffic rules. In a driving simulator study, 36 participants experienced a conditionally automated drive on a rural road. While participants performed a non-driving-related task (NDRT), the automated driving system approached a rear-end collision blocking the vehicle's lane. In experimental trials, the system requested drivers either to monitor the traffic scene or to decide when to initiate an evasive maneuver. Depending on traffic regulations (overtaking ban present or absent), the system could not solve the situation and issued a request to intervene, or the system could perform the evasive maneuver itself. This resulted in a 2 x 2 within-subjects design with transition <em>strategy</em> (monitoring, initiating) and transition <em>type</em> (request to intervene, no request to intervene) as independent variables. None of the transition <em>strategies</em> improved driving performance, shortened take-over time or affected drivers' gaze behavior. The transition <em>type</em> affected trust in monitoring trials: when monitoring was not followed by a request to intervene, trust in the automated driving system decreased. Results are discussed in light of the suitability of both strategies for different transition contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 163-181"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143428274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sina Rejali , Sherrie-Anne Kaye , Natalie Watson-Brown , Teresa Senserrick , Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios
{"title":"Drivers’ perceptions of improving official information and road rules for distracted driving: Enhancing content, design, and delivery","authors":"Sina Rejali , Sherrie-Anne Kaye , Natalie Watson-Brown , Teresa Senserrick , Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Distracted driving continues to be a significant risk to road safety. While effective legislation and education are essential for preventing distracted driving, there is evidence showing that current official information and road rules related to distracted driving may not provide drivers with a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Therefore, this study aimed to explore drivers’ perspectives on how official information and road rules could be improved to effectively address distracted driving. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 drivers from Queensland, Australia, with thematic analysis employed to extract key themes from the discussions. The results showed that official information on distracted driving could benefit from more comprehensive content, including underrepresented distraction sources (e.g., using a smartwatch, interacting with passengers, and looking at advertisement billboards), the safety risks, and impacts on driving performance. Participants emphasised the need for distracted driving legislation to address the risks posed by a broader range of technological devices (e.g., infotainment systems, wearable devices), not just hand-held mobile phones. The results suggested a need for improved presentation of information, with future distracted driving content suggested to be presented visually, along with more targeted messaging for high-risk drivers such as young drivers. Further, social media, short training, and outdoor media were perceived by participants as the most effective delivery mechanisms for distracted driving resources. The findings provide valuable guidance for policymakers in establishing and communicating information and road rules for distracted driving.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 148-162"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143428273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychometric properties of the peer pressure on risky driving scale in young Chinese drivers and its associations with risky driving behaviours and safe driving climate among friends","authors":"Yushan Li, Long Sun, Jiatong Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The present study aimed to translate and adapt the Peer Pressure on Risky Driving Scale (PPRDS) to young Chinese drivers and examine its relationships with risky driving behaviours and safe driving climate among friends.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Six hundred sixty drivers aged 18 ∼ 25 years agreed to participate in this study. The measurements included the PPRDS, Safe Driving Climate among Friends Scale (SDCaF) and Risky Driving Behaviour Scale (RDBS).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results of exploratory factor analysis (<em>n</em> = 323) and confirmatory factor analysis (<em>n</em> = 324) yielded a three-factor scale with 20 items. The three factors are risk-encouraging direct, risk-discouraging direct and indirect peer pressure. The reliability of the PPRDS factors ranged from 0.85 to 0.95. The significant associations among the PPRDS, the SDCaF and the RDBS factors suggested that the PPRDS had acceptable concurrent validity. It also had acceptable convergent validity, with the average variance extracted (AVE) values of the three factors ranging from 0.526 to 0.673. Most importantly, drivers with traffic crash scored significantly higher in terms of risk-encouraging direct and indirect peer pressure than did drivers without traffic crash, indicating that the PPRDS had satisfactory known-group validity.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings indicate that the revised PPRDS has satisfactory reliability and validity, making it useful for young driver assessment, classification and testing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 118-127"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143422203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Societal acceptance of advanced aerial mobility in China’s Greater Bay Area among young- and middle-aged adults","authors":"Eric T.H. Chan , Tingting Elle Li , Tim Schwanen","doi":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trf.2025.02.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In an era of rapid urbanisation and technological innovation, Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) – an innovative transport mode utilising electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – has evoked debates about its the potential to address various urban transportation challenges. This study examines the societal acceptance of AAM in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA), a region grappling with air pollution, traffic congestion, and cross-border mobility issues. By synthesising the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), we propose an extended model that incorporates trust as a crucial construct. The proposed model was tested with a survey of 988 young- to middle-aged GBA residents, and structural equation modelling results confirmed the model’s validity, explaining 61% of the variance in AAM usage intention. In the proposed model, all TPB and TAM factors are significant, while trust emerged as the most significant factor in explaining the acceptance of AAM. Multigroup analyses offered further insights: perceived usefulness and subjective norms significantly influence young adults’ intentions, while perceived behavioural control plays a pivotal role in shaping men’s inclination towards AAM adoption. These findings not only contribute to the theoretical understanding of technology acceptance but also offer valuable practical implications for informing the design, implementation, and regulation of AAM development in the GBA and beyond. By illuminating the factors driving AAM acceptance, this study paves the way for reimagining the future of urban mobility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48355,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour","volume":"110 ","pages":"Pages 88-103"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143394370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}