Browsing by Author "Craig, Curtis M."
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Item Establishing a Repeatable Method for Presenting Nontraditional Traffic Treatments to Maximize Stakeholder Support(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-08) Morris, Nichole L.; Schwieters, Katelyn R.; Craig, Curtis M.; Tian, DisiA novel infrastructure design known as the J-turn intersection reduces the risk of serious and fatal crashes at thru-STOP intersections through decreasing points of conflict at an intersection by restricting crossing movements from the minor road. Despite their demonstrated safety efficacy, J-turns have not been met with uniformly positive support. In this research, we first examine novice driver baseline attitudes and driving behaviors on J-turns using a driving simulator study. Results demonstrate that critical errors are decreased with driving exposure to the J-turn; however, attitudes toward J-turns are not improved by exposure alone. A series of studies then evaluates the efficacy of various messaging strategies and educational materials on improving attitudes toward J-turns. The findings from these studies identify that the use of both educational materials and persuasive and customized messaging strategies is an effective method for increasing acceptance of J-turns across diverse resident populations (i.e., rural, suburban, and urban) and among stakeholders in Minnesota. This work demonstrates the importance of the role of proactive educational programs and community initiatives in promoting the acceptance and buy-in toward novel roadway treatments, such as J-turns, among diverse drivers, communities, and stakeholder groups.Item Evaluation of Sustained Enforcement, Education, and Engineering Measures on Pedestrian Crossings(Minnesota Department of Transportation., 2019-07) Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.; Van Houten, RonPedestrian fatalities and injuries represent a growing percentage of all traffic fatalities and injuries. This project used a multifaceted approach to improving compliance to the Minnesota crosswalk law in Saint Paul, Minnesota, including: (1) education, (2) measurement, (3) enforcement efforts, (4) social norming, and (5) engineering treatment. The multifaceted activities were planned and implemented in Saint Paul with city traffic engineers and enforcement officers. The study initially observed 32% yielding and frequent multiple threat passing at 16 unsignalized, marked crosswalks throughout Saint Paul, measured through staged pedestrian crossings by the research team. A program was implemented that used a phased treatment approach of disseminating educational materials, conducting four waves of high visibility enforcement (HVE), displaying yielding averages on feedback signs across the city, and introducing low-cost engineering solutions through in-street signs. The results demonstrated a significant impact from education, HVE, and engineering to increase yielding to as high as 78% at enforcement sites and 61% at untreated sites. Multiple threat passing was also reduced. Overall, the study demonstrated that the HVE program and combined low-cost engineering were effective at improving compliance to the crosswalk law.Item Examining Optimal Sight Distances at Rural Intersections(Minnesota Department of Transportation., 2019-07) Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.; Achtemeier, Jacob D.Decisions made regarding driver sight distance at rural intersections are complex and require considerations for safety, efficiency, and environmental factors. Sight distance, cross-traffic velocity, and vehicle placements significantly affect driver judgment and behavior atthese intersections. A series of rural, two-lane thru-STOP simulated intersections with differing sight distances and traffic speeds were created and then validated by county and state engineers. Experimental data from 36 participants in a time-to-collision (TTC) intersection crossing judgment task and a rural highway thru-STOP intersection driving simulation task was analyzed to clarify the influence of rural thru-STOP intersection characteristics on driving performance and decision-making. Results demonstrated that longer sight distances of1,000 ft. and slower crossing speeds (i.e., 55 mph) were more accommodating for participants attempting to select gaps and cross from the minor road, corresponding with (1) lower mental workload, perceived risk, difficulty, and anxiousness, and (2) better performance in terms of estimated crash rate, and larger TTCs. Second, longer distances of 1,000 ft. appear to aid drivers’ responsiveness on the main road approaching an intersection, specifically when another driver on the minor road runs the stop sign. Minor road drivers positioned close tothe roadway at the stop sign, compared to standard stop bar placement, tended to help reduce the speed of main road drivers. Overall,results demonstrated a systematic improvement in the performance of both minor and major road drivers with the implementation of a1,000-foot sight distance at rural thru-STOP intersections.Item HumanFIRST Driving Simulation Educational Development(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2019-05) Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.; Achtemeier, Jacob D.; Easterlund, PeterThe HumanFIRST Laboratory was recently awarded a grant through the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research tomatch funds to completely overhaul the laboratory’s driving simulators. This upgrade, which includes large touchscreen displays in theimmersive simulators’ cockpit, will allow the laboratory to conduct innovative research in the fields of connected vehicles, in-vehicle technologies, and automated vehicles. In addition, the visibility of the laboratory’s increased capabilities is expected to boost an alreadyfrequent demand for educational and training partnerships (particularly around high-risk behaviors, such as distraction and speeding) fromboth government and private groups. In addition to the value in education and dissemination of knowledge regarding roadway safety tothe greater community through demonstrations using the simulator, these partnerships often foster future opportunities for research partnerships and funding. Legacy driving scenarios will be updated to new simulator specifications. The creation of this new content is expected to allow new funding opportunities and will facilitate the research team to share its knowledge through educational and training opportunities within the regional community. This research leveraged the investment in the new simulator and propel the laboratory’s capabilities through the creation of three distinct simulated demonstrations focused on controlled hand-offs with automated vehicles,distracted driving via non-driving-related in-vehicle technologies, and speeding in pedestrian populated areas. These topics are keyresearch focus areas for the Roadway Safety Institute and are core focus areas for the HumanFIRST Laboratory and its funding stakeholders.Item In-Vehicle Work Zone Messages(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2017-06) Craig, Curtis M.; Achtemeier, Jacob; Morris, Nichole L.; Tian, Disi; Patzer, BradyWork zones present an increased risk to drivers and the work crew. To mitigate these risks, this study investigated the potential effects of in-vehicle messages to communicate work zone events to the driver. The researchers conducted literature reviews on risks imposed by work zones, along with design guidelines for any in-vehicle messaging system. The researchers then conducted a work zone safety survey to illustrate driver attitudes in Minnesota toward work zones, along with smartphone use and in-vehicle messages through smartphones. The survey found that a significant number of drivers make use of smartphones in the automobile, and they placed these smartphones in various locations throughout the vehicle. The survey was followed by a driving simulation study that tested drivers in two different types of work zones. Participants drove through these work zones three times, each with different messaging interfaces to communicate hazardous events to the driver. The interfaces included a roadside, portable changeable message sign, a smartphone presenting only auditory messages, and a smartphone presenting audio-visual messages. There was better driving performance on key metrics including speed deviation and lane deviation for the in-vehicle message conditions relative to the roadside signs. Furthermore, drivers reported significantly less mental workload and better usability, work zone event recall, and eye gaze behavior for the in-vehicle conditions relative to the roadside sign condition.Item Minnesota MNCrash Design and Training Research Development(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2020-09) Morris, Nichole L.; Schwieters, Katelyn R.; Craig, Curtis M.This report includes research activities that focused on the MNCrash interface design and training. A series of usability tests was conducted on the existing MNCrash interface system to document errors, frustrations, or confusion points that could be improved through iterative design and training. Usability testing with MNCrash users revealed that the majority of problems were related to detail and efficiency. Next, design recommendations were developed based on a set of criteria to reduce error and user frustration and to improve efficiency and user satisfaction. The outcome resulted in the implementation of several design change recommendations with a focus on addressing more accurate and complete data. To follow, a decision aid prototype was developed to determine if there were measurable effects of increasing accuracy of injury severity reporting for law enforcement participants. The prototype received high-level support, produced good usability, and increased accuracy in injury severity reporting. Finally, to complement the interface design recommendations, a training was developed to address knowledge gaps and improve accuracy in crash data reporting for law enforcement officers. The training was created on Rise360, an e-learning platform. Several iterations and user testing with law enforcement participants and crash reporting experts resulted in a final training design that consisted of an introductory module, eight core modules, eight quizzes, and a concluding module. The training produced good usability and user satisfaction recommended for implementation.Item Multi-city study of an engineering and outreach program to increase driver yielding at signalized and unsignalized crosswalks(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-03) Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.; Drahos, Bradley; Tian, Disi; Van Houten, Ron; Mabry, Marshall; Kessler, WilliamPedestrian deaths are at a 30-year high nationally, accounting for 16% of total deaths in 2018 and far exceeding the previous decade of 12%, a trend mirrored in Minnesota. Previous research found an increase in local and citywide yielding at unsignalized crosswalks following an engineering and high-visibility enforcement program in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This study examined a modified engineering-focused (i.e., without enforcement) program expanded to both unsignalized and signalized intersections across the Twin Cities. The six-month study found modest improvements in yielding from baseline to treatment end (48.1% to 65.5% in Saint Paul and 19.8% to 38.8% in Minneapolis) at unsignalized engineering treatment sites but no improvements at generalization sites. No significant improvements in left- or right-turning yielding by drivers in Saint Paul were found at treated signalized intersections, but given that yielding was significantly worse at generalization sites over time, there may be some evidence that treatments mitigated performance declines among Saint Paul drivers during the study period. Yielding improvements at signalized treatment sites were more pronounced for only right-turning drivers in Minneapolis, but generalization sites showed no improvement or even worsened over time. Overall, study results suggested no shift in driving culture in either city, as found with the previous study using police enforcement, but found some evidence of local, site-specific changes in driver yielding behavior at treatment locations.Item Older Driver Support System (ODSS) Usability and Design Investigation(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2018-01) Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.; Libby, David A.; Cooper, JenniferOlder drivers represent a high-risk population on the road, due to age-related declines in cognition and perception. The present research investigated whether an Older Driver Support System (ODSS) smartphone application would be useful. The research presented here was comprised of (1) focus groups, surveys, and interviews, (2) simulated driving with video playback, and (3) on-the-road field-testing. The methodology centered on iterative re-design of the ODSS interface based on feedback and behavior of older drivers. This iterative re-design approach was successful at making the ODSS interface more usable when considering System Usability Scale (SUS) scores. Furthermore, older drivers during the field test reported minimal mental effort expended when using the smartphone application and many significantly positive statements about the application. The field test resulted in several final recommendations for the ODSS application. A promising final takeaway was a universal design approach preferred by the older drivers, as they did not want to be singled out for special attention.Item Older Driver Support System Field Operational Test(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2019-05) Libby, David A.; Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.Older drivers represent the highest injury and fatality rate per 100 million miles driven. The disproportionate fatality risk is linked to several known factors, ranging from failure to yield to cognitive and visual limitations to seatbelt use abstention to fragility. Through a series of focus groups, usability tests, and a controlled field test, a universally designed smartphone app (called RoadCoach) designed to reduce risky driving behaviors, such as speeding and hard braking, was previously found to have high usability among older drivers. The current research consisted of a field operational test of the app, which examined the baseline driving behavior (3 weeks) of 28 older drivers in Minnesota and Kansas, their driving behavior with RoadCoach feedback (6 weeks), and their driving behavior during a follow-up, no-feedback period (3 weeks). The results demonstrated marginal reductions in speeding behaviors while the app was functioning, but speed behaviors significantly increased after the feedback was discontinued compared to when it was active. Hard braking and stop sign violations were significantly reduced during feedback and post feedback. Finally, satisfaction and trust were high among users, with drivers reporting that the app helped improve their attention and focus on the task of driving.Item Work Zone Intrusion Report Interface Design(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2018-02) Craig, Curtis M.; Morris, Nichole L.; Libby, David A.; Davis, BrianWhile necessary for roadways, work zones present a safety risk to crew. Half of road workers deaths between 2005 and 2010 were due to collisions with motorists intruding on the work zone. Therefore, addressing intrusions is an important step for ensuring a safe work environment for crewmembers. However, a recent research synthesis at the Minnesota Department of Transportation found that few states had an explicit method for systematically collecting work zone intrusion data. The purpose of this work zone intrusion interface design project was to design an efficient, comprehensive, and user-friendly reporting system for intrusions in work zones. A user-centric, iterative design process was employed to design an adaptable web-based and paper report to account for simple documentation of intrusions not deemed a threat to worker safety and a detailed report for more thorough documentation of serious intrusion events. Final recommendations include organizational changes and support to encourage workers to complete the form and provide valuable data to the state.