A Model of Driver Behavior in Response to Road Roughness: A Case Study of Yazd Arterials

The impact of pavement distresses on the comfort of road users has been extensively studied so far, while little attention has been paid to investigating their effect on road safety. Some types of distresses, such as the polished aggregates of road pavements, influence vehicle stopping distance. Some other types of distresses influence the behavior of drivers due to the roughness they create on the road surface. In this study, a model of driver behavior in response to road roughness is calibrated which takes into account the geometric aspects of distresses, traffic parameters and road specifications. The behavior of drivers in response to road roughness is categorized into the two states of non-reaction and reaction (which includes either braking and crossing over distresses or deviating from the path) and is analyzed using logit model. The data which were collected through personal on-site observation in Yazd city pertain to the following variables; distress location, distress area, distress length, distress width, distress type, distance from lining, average hourly traffic, the average speed of vehicles, and the number of distresses within 100 meters. These data were collected from 15 randomly-selected distress areas with arterial functionality for 450 vehicles passing them. Based on the model results, a number of factors were found to increase the likelihood of drivers’ reactions when facing distress areas. These factors include distress area, distress in fast lanes, and the reduction of average hourly traffic.

A Model of Driver Behavior in Response to Road Roughness: A Case Study of Yazd Arterials Keywords:

driver behavior , logit model , pavement distress , road roughness