Browsing by Author "Rakauskas, Michael"

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    Development of Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) for Blind Pedestrians at Signalized Intersections
    (Center for Transportation Studies, 2011-06) Liao, Chen-fu; Rakauskas, Michael; Rayankula, Avanish
    People with vision impairment have different perception and spatial cognition as compared to the sighted people. Blind pedestrians primarily rely on auditory, olfactory, or tactile feedback to determine spatial location and find their way. They generally have difficulty crossing intersections due to lack of traffic information at intersections. Among the intersection crossing sub-tasks, locating crosswalk, determining when to cross and maintaining alignment to crosswalk while crossing are the most difficult tasks for the blind and visually impaired. To understand how the blind pedestrians make safe crossing decisions, ten blind and low-vision individuals were interviewed. The purpose of these interviews was to understand the types of information they use while making safe intersection crossings and identify new information types that could assist them. A Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) prototype was developed to support decision making at signalized intersections. The MAPS integrates sensors on a Smartphone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technologies, and traffic signal controllers were developed to provide intersection geometry information and Signal Phasing and Timing (SPaT) to pedestrians who are blind at signalized intersections. A single-tap command on the Smartphone screen allows users to request for intersection geometry information, such as street name, direction and number of lanes at a corner of an intersection. A double-tap input while pointing toward desired direction of crossing will confirm the crossing direction, request for pedestrian phase, and the Smartphone application will then wirelessly request for signal timing and phasing information from traffic signal controller.
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    Driving Performance During 511 Information Retrieval: Cell Phone 2
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2007-11) Rakauskas, Michael; Ward, Nicholas
    As a logical and necessary extension of previous research (Rakauskas, et al., 2005), this study aims to assess the risk of cell phone use for traveler information applications; namely while using Minnesota's 511 interactive voice response (IVR) menu. First, detailed usage, utility, and usability evaluations of the MN511 were conducted. The goal of this design was to help harmonize the transfer of knowledge between access methods while also easing implementation concerns for the MN511 developers. Next, a simulated driving experiment was conducted with the goal of seeing if using an IVR menu leads to more risky driving behavior compared to driving while not accessing a menu. It also allowed us to see if changing the MN511 menu might affect driver performance. While using both phone menus, drivers seemed to compensate for the additional mental workload by delaying their reactions until they felt comfortable taking action. There were no differences between the two menu types for the majority of driving performance measures. This study addresses issues with the 511 IVR menus that were identified during this study and presents recommendations for future development.
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    Generational Perspective on Teen and Older Drivers on Traffic Safety in Rural and Urban Communities
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2008-09) Manser, Michael; Rakauskas, Michael; Ward, Nic; Jones, Pam; Mayer, Amy; Armson, Rossana
    The purpose of this project was to explore beliefs and attitudes about risky driving behavior and traffic safety interventions between urban and rural drivers as a function of age. This was accomplished by conducting focus groups and surveys in rural and urban areas with teens and seniors. Results indicated that traffic safety policy for teens should focus on distraction and sensory-motor functioning amongst seniors. In terms of traffic safety policy for rural areas, attention should be given to interventions promoting seatbelt compliance. Relative to traffic safety interventions, teens felt GDL helped them become better drivers but weren’t convinced GDL had made them better/safer. Teen felt smart technology could have positive effects on safety, but an acceptable program based on this technology needs to balance factors such as cost, robustness, and limitations on driving. Seniors were receptive to mandatory testing but felt it must be flexible, objectively administered, and based on criteria other than age. Rural seniors were concerned about alternative mobility programs for those drivers that fail the proposed test. Relative to these alternative programs, seniors’ acceptance was related to the perceived accessibility to a safe and affordable program that is sufficiently versatile to accommodate a range of transportation needs.
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    Rural and Urban Safety Cultures: Human-Centered Interventions Toward Zero Deaths in Rural Minnesota
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2007-11) Rakauskas, Michael; Ward, Nicholas; Gerberich, Susan; Alexander, Bruce
    The total number of annual traffic fatalities and the rate of fatalities per vehicle mile traveled are considerably higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. This project aimed to be one of the first studies to systematically explore the potential contribution of rural driver attitudes and behavior that may be a causal factor of these trends. We first conducted a survey of self-reported driver behavior and traffic safety attitudes. The analysis of this survey examined differences between rural and urban drivers in terms of risk taking and attitudes toward safety interventions proposed as part of the Minnesota Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan. The results suggest that rural drivers engage in riskier behavior such as seatbelt noncompliance and DUI because they have lower perceptions of the risks associated with such behaviors. Moreover, rural drivers perceive lower value in government-sponsored traffic safety interventions than their urban counterparts. We then measured driver behavior from a driving simulator comparing the driving behavior of rural and urban drivers during traffic scenarios that embodied common crash factors (distraction, speeding, car following, intersections). The results suggest that the rural environment may encourage less safe driving. This study provides policy suggestions for developing safety interventions that are designed for the psychosocial factors that define the rural culture.
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    Sign Comprehension, Considering Rotation and Location, Using Random Gap Simulation for a Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System – Stop Sign Assist: CICAS-SSA Report #4
    (2010-08) Creaser, Janet; Manser, Michael; Rakauskas, Michael; Donath, Max
    Crashes at rural thru-stop intersections arise primarily from a driver attempting to cross or enter the mainline traffic stream after failing to recognize an unsafe gap condition. Because the primary cause of these crashes is not failure to stop, but failure to recognize an unsafe condition, the US DOT FHWA, MnDOT, and the University of Minnesota ITS Institute undertook the CICAS-SSA program. CICAS-SSA uses roadside radar sensors, a computer processor and algorithms to determine unsafe conditions, and an active LED icon based sign to provide timely alerts and warnings which are designed to reduce the frequency of crashes at rural expressway intersections. The primary goal of this portion of the overall effort was to evaluate several candidate CICAS-SSA concepts in order to identify a single sign that may provide the greatest utility in terms of driver performance and usability at a real-world rural intersection. A secondary goal of the work was to determine the ideal physical characteristics (i.e., location and rotation of a sign relative to drivers) of the candidate CICAS-SSA at a test intersection to maximize comprehension (and subsequent use) of the sign. This report summarizes the results of the work.
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    Validation Study – On-Road Evaluation of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System – Stop Sign Assist Sign: CICAS-SSA Report #5
    (2010-08) Rakauskas, Michael; Creaser, Janet; Manser, Michael; Graving, Justin; Donath, Max
    The CICAS-SSA sign is a roadside driver support system that is intended to improve gap rejection at rural stopcontrolled intersections. The CICAS-SSA system tracks vehicle locations on a major roadway and then displays a message to a driver on the minor road via an active LED icon-based sign. The basis of this sign is a “Divided Highway” sign that is commonly presented in traffic environments. Overlaid on the roadways of the sign are yellow or red icons that represent approaching vehicles that are at a distance at which the driver on the minor road should proceed with caution or at a distance that is considered unsafe to enter the intersection. Previous research conducted in a driving simulation environment indicated potentially beneficial changes in driver decision-making relative to approaching vehicle gap sizes and indicated that drivers perceive the system as being both useful and satisfying. While simulation-based evaluations provide a wealth of useful information, their ability to replicate the full array of behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual elements of a driving environment do have some limitations. It is because of these limitations that it is useful to confirm simulation-based findings in a real-world environment. The primary goal of the current work was to evaluate the candidate CICAS-SSA sign in a real-world setting to confirm previously identified benefits and identify any unintended consequences of sign usage. This goal was accomplished through a validation field test performed at the intersection of US Highway 52 and County Road 9 in Southern Minnesota. The findings of the work are summarized in this report.