Browsing by Author "Wade, Michael G"
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Item Accident Analysis of Significant Crash Rates for Low to Very Low Volume Roadways in 10 Minnesota Counties(2004-03-01) Wade, Michael G; Hammond, Curtis; Chunggon, KimThree sets of analysis were carried out on the database. First was a descriptive analysis of the data to determine the general frequency rates of accidents. A second identified dangerous roadways. Counting the number of crashes on specific roadways and dividing this number by the average ADT on a roadway generated crash rates for those roadways, including county state aid highways (CSAHs), county highways, and township roads. Roadways with the highest five percent were considered significantly dangerous. Crash rates were generated for specific locations. This method identified 15 dangerous locations, nine on CSAHs, three on county highways, and two on township roads. There were only 235 cases where no improper driving was indicated. The remaining 1,554 cases suggested that driver error was the major cause. The most likely factor in causing an accident on a highway with an ADT of less than 400 is a crash involving an animal. Road design factors such as number of lanes and the speed limit seem to be the factors related to these accidents.Item The Center of Pressure Data from "The Rim and Ancient Mariner: The Nautical Horizon Affects Postural Sway in Older Adults"(2016-11-24) Munafo, Justin G; Wade, Michael G; Stoffregen, Thomas A; Stergiou, Nicholas; tas@umn.edu; Stoffregen, Thomas A; University of Minnesota Department of Kinesiology, Affordance Perception-Action LaboratoryThis dataset contains the raw center of pressure data collected on the Enrichment Voyage (www.semesteratsea.org) on an AMTI (Advanced Mechanical Technology, Inc.) force plate. The data was collected across two days from 18 participants. There were two conditions (the near condition and the far condition) split evenly across six trials in a randomized order. In the trials of the near condition, participants stood on the force plate with their hands comfortably on their sides with their shoes on. They maintained their gaze on a tripod located 50 cm from their heel for the duration of the trial. In the trials of the far condition, everything remains the same, except that the tripod was removed, and participants were instructed to look at the horizon. Trials were 60 seconds long.Item Deer Avoidance: The Assessment of Real World Enhanced Deer Signage in a Virtual Environment(2004-01-01) Hammond, Curtis; Wade, Michael GThis study explores three techniques of signage in an attempt to reduce the incidence of vehicle/deer collisions on highways in Minnesota. A simulated environment was created along a stretch of U.S. Highway 23 near Marshall, Minnesota with participants chosen from the University of Minnesota and the surrounding community. The simulation consisted of a standard warning sign as well as a prototype of the experimental signage. The prototype was comprised of a beacon light attached to the top of the warning sign designed to flash when deer were present. During the simulation, participants were exposed to the standard signage as well as the new signage with and without the beacon flashing. The main objective was to determine whether the prototype signs would modify driver behavior such that they decreased their speed. The study found that the prototype signage was effective in decreasing the speed of the participants when the beacon light was flashing. These results were consistent across the variations of age and gender. The results for the prototype signage with the beacon light turned off were essentially no different from the standard signage.Item Forward Looking Blindspots: A report of A-Pillar induced field-of-view obstruction and driver performance in a simulated rural environment(2002-03-01) Wade, Michael G; Hammond, CurtisThis study analyzed the relationship between the size of the forward looking blindspot (FLB) produced by vehicles A-post (windshield frame), the speeds of two vehicles approaching an intersection at right angles, and driver behavior relative to a likely accident event. Researchers observed 28 volunteer participants directly and by four channels of on-board video cameras while they drove in a simulator at the Human Factors Research Laboratory. They noted the way that participants scanned the virtual environment and scored at four levels of scanning activity. They also tracked visual acquisition of the target vehicle and incidence of collision. Only 6.3 percent of the total fell into type one scanning (eyes fixed). Type II (eyes only) accounted for the highest incident rate at almost 44 percent. The study considered both as "inactive" forms of scanning. Target vehicle acquisition rate increased with the activity level of the scanning type. The target acquisition rate increased significantly from scanning level one to level two and from scanning level two to level three. There was not a significant increase in the acquisition rate from scanning level three to level four. Not surprisingly, collision rates decreased with increases in scanning level. Collision rates significantly dropped between scanning levels two and three and scanning levels three and four. Yield signs at intersections produced no significant correlation with acquisition rate, collision rate, or scanning level.Item Investigation the Effect on Driver Performance of Advanced Warning Flashers at Signalized Intersections(2001-07-01) Smith, Thomas J; Hammond, Curtis; Wade, Michael GThis report summarizes the findings of a human factors analysis to determine the effects of advanced warning flashers (AWFs) on simulated driving performance. The Minnesota Department of Transportation sponsored the project. Researchers used the flat-screen simulator at the University of Minnesota Human Factors Research Laboratory to conduct experiments. They measured vehicle speed, braking, and acceleration/deceleration during simulated driving and visually observed stopping behavior. In addition, they analyzed responses to a post-test questionnaire. They created a 11.3-mile simulated driving environment with 10 signalized intersections and configured four experimental models: low speed limit (SL) of 50 miles per hour with no AWFs, low SL with AWF at each intersection, high SL of 65 miles per hour with no AWFs, and high SL with AWF at each intersection Researchers set different vehicle-signal proximity intervals, with all green/no yellow as the control, and zero seconds with the vehicle adjacent to the signal, two seconds, three-and-a-half seconds, or five seconds. With each model, they assigned two intersections each proximity interval, with the sequence of intersection proximity intervals ordered differently for each model. Each of 24 subjects completed duplicate driving trials with each model. The study revealed that, relative to intersections with no AWFs, drivers who encountered yellow signals at AWFs intersections: stopped more frequently at low SLs but not at high SLs, drove more slowly while approaching intersections with two and three-and-a-half second proximity intervals, and displayed less inconsistent behavior at intersections with short proximity intervals. Researchers concluded that AWFs assist drivers with decision-making behavior and promote safer driving behavior. They recommended field research to study an actual environment.