Research on Vehicle Trajectory Deviation Characteristics on Freeways Using Natural Driving Trajectory Data

Area of Science:

• Traffic Engineering
• Road Safety Research
• Automotive Dynamics

Background:

• Analysis of vehicle lateral driving behavior is crucial for freeway design and road safety.
• Factors influencing vehicle lateral driving behavior require further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze freeway vehicle lateral driving behavior and trajectory characteristics using natural driving data.
• To investigate the impact of lane position, speed, safety facilities, and vehicle types on trajectory behavior.
• To identify variables causing trajectory deviation for improved traffic safety facility design.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a dataset of natural freeway driving trajectories.
• Extracted trajectory characteristic indicators, including preferred trajectory deviation and standard deviation.
• Investigated the effects of lane position, speed, road safety facilities, and vehicle types.

Main Results:

• Lane width and lane position significantly affect vehicle trajectory distribution.
• Increased speed leads to greater lateral distance from the guardrail in inner lanes.
• Vehicles in outer and middle lanes adjust lateral positions away from road edges and lane lines as speed increases.
• Significant differences in preferred trajectory distribution exist for the same vehicle type across different lane positions (Cohen's d > 0.7).
• Lateral position characteristics are similar for different vehicle types within the same lane (Cohen's d < 0.35).

Conclusions:

• Lane position and speed are key determinants of vehicle lateral driving behavior on freeways.
• Understanding vehicle trajectory deviations is essential for optimizing the design of traffic safety facilities like guardrails and shoulders.
• Road design parameters such as lane width should accommodate variations in vehicle types and driving speeds to enhance safety.