Drivers' decision-making when attempting to cross an intersection results from choice between affordances

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Factors Engineering
• Transportation Safety

Background:

• Safe intersection navigation requires drivers to manage simultaneous crossing or yielding scenarios.
• Previous models focused on critical crossing times, potentially overlooking other decision factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formalize critical time for safe crossing (CT cross) and critical time for safe stopping (CT stop).
• To empirically investigate the contribution of CT cross and CT stop to driver decision-making.
• To test the hypothesis of choice between affordances in a driving context.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a driving simulator with participants driving identical cars with varied braking capabilities.
• Participants were tasked with crossing an intersection with oncoming traffic or stopping/executing an emergency exit.
• Compared crossing frequency across groups with different braking capabilities.

Main Results:

• Crossing possibilities (CT cross) remained consistent across all participant groups.
• Significant differences in crossing frequency were observed between groups with varying braking capabilities.
• This indicates that stopping possibilities (CT stop) influence driver decisions beyond crossing potential.

Conclusions:

• Driver decision-making at intersections is influenced by both crossing and stopping affordances.
• The findings support a behavioral model of decision-making based on the choice between affordances.
• Enhanced braking capabilities may alter risk perception and increase intersection crossing frequency.