Traffic safety at road-rail level crossings using a driving simulator and traffic simulation

Several intelligent transportation systems (ITS) were used with an advanced driving simulator to assess its influence on driving behavior. Three types of ITS interventions were tested: video in vehicle, audio in vehicle, and on-road flashing marker. The results from the driving simulator were inputs for a developed model that used traffic microsimulation (VISSIM 5.4) to assess the safety interventions. Using a driving simulator, 58 participants were required to drive through active and passive crossings with and without an ITS device and in the presence or absence of an approaching train. The effect of changes in
driver speed and compliance rate was greater at passive crossings than
at active crossings. The slight difference in speed of drivers approaching
ITS devices indicated that ITS helped drivers encounter crossings in a
safer way. Since the traffic simulation was not able to replicate a dynamic
speed change or a probability of stopping that varied depending on ITS
safety devices, some modifications were made to the traffic simulation.
The results showed that exposure to ITS devices at active crossings did
not influence drivers’ behavior significantly according to the traffic
performance indicator, such as delay time, number of stops, speed, and
stopped delay. However, the results of traffic simulation for passive crossings,
where low traffic volumes and low train headway normally occur,
showed that ITS devices improved overall traffic performance.