Driving Behavior during Left-Turn Maneuvers at Intersections on Left-Hand Traffic Roads.

Area of Science:

• Road safety engineering
• Human factors in transportation
• Vehicle dynamics

Background:

• Left-turn accidents involving pedestrians are a significant safety concern.
• Understanding driver behavior during left turns is crucial for prevention.
• Existing research often lacks detailed analysis of gaze, speed, and time to collision (TTC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify driver behavior during left turns at intersections on left-hand traffic roads.
• To analyze gaze patterns, vehicle speed, and time to collision (TTC) in relation to pedestrian presence.
• To identify differences in behavior between sedans and light-duty trucks.

Main Methods:

• Experiments were conducted using a sedan and a light-duty truck (< 7.5 tons GVW).
• Four conditions were tested: no pedestrian dummy (No-P), near-side dummy (Near-P), far-side dummy (Far-P), and both dummies (NF-P).
• Driver gaze, vehicle speed, and TTC were measured and analyzed across conditions and vehicle types.

Main Results:

• Sedans showed significantly shorter gaze times to left-side mirrors than light-duty trucks in the NF-P condition.
• Light-duty trucks maintained significantly lower average speeds at intersection lines (L1 and L0) compared to sedans under No-P, Near-P, and NF-P conditions.
• Sedans exhibited significantly shorter TTC than trucks when encountering near-side (Near-P, NF-P) and far-side (Far-P) pedestrians.

Conclusions:

• Vehicle type influences driver gaze and speed control during left turns.
• Sedans present a shorter time to collision with pedestrians, indicating a higher risk.
• Findings support the development of targeted accident-prevention safety systems for left-turning maneuvers.