Effect of warning message on driver’s stop/go decision and red-light-running behaviors under fog condition

Abstract

The red-light-running (RLR) warning system has substantial potentials in helping drivers make proper stop/go decisions and reducing the RLR violations. Adverse foggy weather degrades drivers’ performances and may also affect the effectiveness of the RLR warning system. However, limited research has been conducted regarding the impact of the RLR warning on driving performances under foggy weather. Thus, this study aims to explore drivers’ decision-making process and RLR behaviors at intersection dilemma zones and evaluate the effectiveness of the RLR auditory-warning (RLR-AW) system in both fog and clear weather conditions. A concept of the RLR-AW system was proposed and designed in a driving simulator experiment. The simulated driving with the RLR-AW system was conducted in both clear and foggy weather conditions. The results show that drivers took compensation actions in fog while approaching the intersection, such as driving at lower speeds and using harder maximum brakes. The RLR-AW was able to reduce RLR rates in both clear and fog conditions, and drivers tended to respond more quickly and take smoother brake reactions with the RLR-AW provided. Moreover, the RLR-AW showed more remarkable influences on drivers’ behaviors in fog with higher decrement in brake reaction time and maximum deceleration rate. Overall, findings of the study shed light on the design of in-vehicle RLR-AW system and highlight the necessity of drivers applying the system in adverse weather conditions.