R&T Portfolio: Human Factors
More than 90 percent of crashes are due to driver behavior. The purpose of human factors research is to better understand driver needs to incorporate driver needs into roadway design, construction, repair, and improvement. All Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) strategies for improving safety and enhancing operations throughout the highway transportation system benefit from the appropriate consideration of driver behavior. Human factors studies consider driver, pedestrian, and special user needs and capabilities, as well as how each of these impacts safety and informs better roadway design.
Program Objectives:
- Improve the effectiveness of safety countermeasures and tools that promote operational efficiency.
- Improve roadway designs to meet the needs of drivers and vulnerable road users.
- Understand how people respond to signs and markings, emerging vehicle technology, innovative operational design changes, and other new roadside innovations.
FHWA human factors research in automation seeks to understand how connected and automated vehicles can be safely integrated into the Nation’s roadway systems by evaluating the human behaviors related to the deployment of cooperative automation.
Spotlight Project: Driver Acceptance of Vehicle Automation for Function-Specific Automation Applications
Driver acceptance of a technology is an important part of a driver adopting the technology. One of the gaps in vehicle automation research is how connected-vehicle technology might enhance driver acceptance of vehicle automation (e.g., adaptive cruise control, or ACC). The focus of this work is to examine driver performance and acceptance of the SAE International Level 1 vehicle automation, where the driver has overall control of the vehicle and is solely responsible for safe operation, but can choose to cede limited authority over a primary control (e.g., adaptive cruise control), the vehicle can automatically assume limited authority over a primary control (e.g., electronic stability control), or the automated system can provide added control to aid the driver in certain normal driving or crash-imminent situations (e.g., dynamic brake support in emergencies).
Image source: FHWA.
FHWA is working to understand how people respond to the roadway environment, including signs and markings, operational design changes, and roadside innovations.
Spotlight Project: Simulator Assessment of Alternative Lane Grouping at Signalized Intersections
High left-turn demand at signalized intersections commonly creates bottlenecks. Dynamic reversible left-turn (DRLT) lanes at diamond interchanges and contraflow left-turn (CLT) lanes are two intersection configurations designed to increase capacity at signalized intersections without adding lanes. Two experiments, conducted in a highway driving simulator, evaluated driver comprehension and lane usage in DRLT and CLT intersections compared to conventional intersections. Findings show that signs and markings used in the study would work well in real-world environments. The study recommends providing additional and modified signs and markings to the approaches to DRLT and CLT lanes to improve comprehension and comfort of drivers.
Image source: FHWA.
The FHWA’s research in bicycle and pedestrian roadway safety aims to better understand the causes of pedestrian/bicyclist fatalities, identifies and evaluates potential safety improvement measures, and provides resources for stakeholders.
Spotlight Project: FHWA Safety Study on Pedestrian Crossing Warning Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) W11-2, Sign with Embedded Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
As pedestrian fatalities and injuries continue to be a growing proportion of the roadway safety problem, agencies are looking for low-cost solutions to treat pedestrian crossing locations. A relatively new device in use has LEDs embedded into the border of a crossing sign. The FHWA Safety Study on Pedestrian Crossing Warning MUTCD W11-2 Sign with Embedded Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) project is investigating the performance of pedestrian or school crossing warning signs that have embedded LEDs and that are activated by the pedestrian (i.e., not flashing 24/7). The project is using the safety surrogate of driver yielding to crossing pedestrians as the evaluation technique. The project will determine the effectiveness of the embedded LEDs sign treatment in terms of whether drivers are appropriately yielding to pedestrians crossing the street.
Image source: FHWA.
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Office of Safety Research and Development
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101
United States
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Last updated: Wednesday, June 8, 2022