Driver Information Systems for Highway-Railway Grade Crossings

THE FIRST OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO EVALUATE DRIVER ATTITUDES CONCERNING HAZARDS AT HIGHWAY-RAILWAY GRADE CROSSINGS. RESPONDENTS CONSIDERED HIGHWAY- RAILWAY GRADE CROSSINGS RELATIVELY MORE HAZARDOUS THAN OTHER POTENTIAL HIGHWAY HAZARDS BUT CONSIDERED NONE OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS TO BE VERY SERIOUS. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE THE ECONOMIC PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVING RAILROAD GRADE CROSSINGS RELATIVE TO EIGHT OTHER HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS. RESPONDENTS CONSIDERED SAFETY AT HIGHWAY-RAILWAY GRADE CROSSINGS TO BE VERY IMPORTANT. THE THIRD OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE DRIVER PREFERENCES FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO BE USED AT HIGHWAY-RAILWAY GRADE CROSSINGS. AN OVERHEAD CHANGEABLE-MESSAGE SIGN WAS THE MOST PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF WARNING. THE FOURTH OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE DRIVER PREFERENCES FOR MESSAGES TO BE USED IN AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR HIGHWAY-RAILWAY GRADE CROSSINGS. THE RESPONDENTS PREFERRED INFORMATION EVEN WHEN NO TRAIN WAS PRESENT AND PREFERRED FULL WORDS RATHER THAN ABBREVIATIONS.