Testing of the Drivers Ability to Assess the Distance on the Road While Driving

The article refers the study of the behaviors of drivers while approaching the intersections with traffic lights. It is an element of the active safety system of traffic participants. This study presents the results of testing the ability (accuracy) of the distance assessment on the road by drivers, when approaching the stop line of the intersection. The existence of a so called “dilemma zone”, its extent and location relative to the stop line is not physically determined prior to the intersection. When the traffic light signal is changing, the driver must assess his distance to the intersection. What is more, the driver must also accurately assess and determine the location of the ‘dilemma zone’ and decide, whether to continue driving or start the stopping of the vehicle. When approaching an intersection with a changing signal, the driver finds himself in a risky situation. Sudden braking might surprise the following driver and lead to the rear end collision. If the drive is continued, the driver might enter the intersection after the red light signal has already turned on. Making the right decision depends, among other things, on the accurate assessment of the distance of the vehicle from the intersection with a minimum error. The driver must do it in a very short time. Extending the decision-making time is detrimental to the driver. Pilot surveys were conducted on a group of over 200 people. For this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared and four vehicle positions with known distances to the stop line were proposed. The vehicle positions symbolized the set of traffic bollards next to the road. The respondents assessed the distance between individual bollards, as vehicles in front of the stop line. The results confirmed the initial hypothesis that there is a large error of distance assessment made by drivers. This situation is encouraging to committing offenses and the occurrence of collisions and road accidents, so the need for additional training of drivers was indicated. In addition, it is necessary to consider marking the critical points on the road, e.g.: the “dilemma zone”, enabling and facilitating the correct assessment of distance and choosing the right behavior.