Low-cost road marking measures for increasing safety in horizontal curves: A driving simulator study

Abstract

Statistics show that horizontal curves, especially those of radii less than 200 m, present an increased road ac-cident risk mainly due to inappropriate speed and failure to maintain proper lateral position. This simulator study aims to analyse how two low-cost road marking measures (red median and horizontal warning signs), alone or combined with a vertical warning sign, affect driver behaviour (driving speed, lateral movement, ac-celeration/deceleration) before and throughout dangerous horizontal curves on a two-way rural road. With GIS-supported mapping of traffic accidents, we identified the most dangerous curves on the main rural road in Croatia and replicated them on the driving simulator. Based on the driving runs of 43 participants, the study concluded that both measures, used either alone or combined with a vertical warning sign, significantly reduced the speed compared to the control condition (vertical warning sign alone). Additionally, the use of a red median prompted the lateral movement of the vehicle closer to the edge line. The paper also defines the potential use of the measures for dealing with specific types of curve-related accidents.