Study of Driver’s Behavior for Lateral Moving Vehicles

Abstract

Indian traffic being heterogeneous in nature exhibits an anomalistic lane discipline. This uncertain distribution of vehicles is not only positioned longitudinally but also positioned laterally. Lateral movement of the vehicle has so far not received due attention though it possesses potential liability for the frequent occurrence of risky vehicular interaction between the lanes. Lane changing is an important vehicle maneuvering that particularly depicts the lateral movement of vehicles on the road. Safe and secure driving can be ensured by studying the driver’s judgment while interacting with the neighboring vehicles across the lane and determining the voids present in the driver’s perception of safety and thereby bridging the gap with the suitable measure. With this in concern, an attempt was made in this present study to observe, comprehend and to interpret the driver’s behavior in laterally moving vehicles. To carry out the study, the data was been collected from 2 locations K.R. Puram and Ramurthy Nagar ring road in Bengaluru city by static traffic recording technique. Video recording was done by drone surveying at these locations. The data obtained from the recorded video are analyzed to study the variation in lateral acceleration with correlation with road geometry and vehicle types, lateral gap maintenance and acceptance behavior. The average lateral acceleration of auto is 0.66 m/s², two-wheeler is 0.72 m/s², bus is 0.63 m/s², LCV is 0.69 m/s². This study of driver’s behavior acknowledges the fact that the two-wheeler users exhibit a risky lateral interaction with the average gap of 0.42 m maintained between bike users leaves them in a tight spot and with the raising lateral acceleration, the chances of collision are higher. The lateral deviation parameter was found to be higher in case of car exhibiting an average deviation of 6.69% and followed by two-wheelers with average deviation of 5.45%. The lower lateral clearance value with increase in lateral deviation of the vehicles indicates the absence of lane discipline and unsafe driving behavior.