Eliminating Sun Glare Disturbance at Signalized Intersections by a Vehicle to Infrastructure Wireless Communication
Project Title
Eliminating Sun Glare Disturbance at Signalized Intersections by a Vehicle to Infrastructure Wireless Communication
University
Texas Southern University
Principal Investigator
Qing Li, Fengxiang Qiao, Lei Yu
Texas Southern University
PI Contact Information
Innovative Transportation Research Institute
Texas Southern University
3100 Cleburne Avenue
Houston, TX 77004
Funding Sources and Amounts Provided
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Total Project Cost
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Agency ID or Contract Number
DTRT12GUTC17/KLK900-SB-003
Start Date
1/1/12
End Date
5/31/16
Description of Research Project
Due to sun glare disturbances, drivers may encounter fatal threats on roadways, particularly at signalized intersections. Many studies have attempted to develop applicable solutions, such as avoiding sun positions, road geometric re-directions, and wearing anti-glare glasses. None of these strategies has been able to fully solve the problem. As one of the “Connected Vehicle” practices proposed by U.S. Department of Transportation, Advanced Warning Messages (AWM) are capable of providing wireless information about traffic controls, as a supplement to conventional signs and signals, which could be somehow blocked by obstacles or natural disturbances, such as sun glare. The Drivers’ Smart Advisory System (DSAS) is a system that can provide drivers with AWM. This research explores the implications of DSAS messages on driving behaviors under sun glare disturbance using a driving simulator. Statistical analyses were applied to assess: (1) the negative impacts of sun glare, (2) the compensation of the DSAS AWM to sun glare effects, and (3) the improvement in driving performance owing to the DSAS AWM. Four performance indexes were measured: (1) half kinetic energy speed, (2) mean approach speed, (3) brake response time, and (4) braking distance. The effects of the socio-demographic factors of gender, age, educational background, and driving experience were also studied. The analytical results illustrated that the DSAS can compensate for the reduced visibility due to sun glare, and it can improve driving performance to a normal visual situation, particularly for left turns and through movements.
Implementation of Research Outcomes
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Impacts and Benefits of the Project
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Papers
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Web Links
Keywords
- Sun glare disturbance
- Warning messages
- V2I wireless communication system
- Driving behaviors
- Driving simulator
- Drivers’ Smart Advisory System (DSAS)
- Half kinetic energy