Analysis of rumble strips and driver fatigue using traffic simulation

The interest in in-vehicle Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is increasing. New systems such as Adaptive Cruise Controls and Collision Avoidance Systems are currently introduced at a rapid pace. ADAS can both substitute and complement traditional infrastructure based safety improving countermeasures. To exploit the full potential of these systems, it is necessary to estimate the systems future impact already at early development stages. This paper presents a traffic simulation framework for analysis of the aggregation of individual driver/vehicle behaviour due to ADAS to effects on the traffic system. Application of the simulation framework is exemplified by a study of centre line rumble strips on rural roads. The effects of physical milled rumble strips are compared to the effects of “virtual” in-vehicle rumble strips for both alert and sleep deprived drivers. The use of traffic simulation made it possible to study the combined impact of changes in drivers’ free driving speed, reaction time and overtaking behaviour. Indications that the different rumble strips have an impact on average journey speeds were found amongst the simulation results. Changes in safety indicators that can be related to changes in overtaking behaviour were also observed.