Analysis of Stopping Behavior at Urban Signalized Intersections

Abstract

Traffic accidents at signalized intersections are influenced by many environmental factors, including site layout, traffic volume, and signal operation. However, most traffic accidents are attributable to driver behavior in response to the environment, because responses to the environment vary with drivers’ individual characteristics, as observed in the concept of a dilemma zone (DZ) at intersection approaches. For DZ protection, the installation of traffic signals closer to the stop line (i.e., before the intersection) has been proposed in South Korea. Although such proposals have been implemented experimentally, the actual effect of this measure on driver behavior has not yet been investigated. A discrete choice model is used to identify the factors that influence drivers’ crossing and stopping behaviors at signalized intersections, under the assumption that traffic safety is at risk if the influence of the signal location is ignored. Two analyses are presented to assess the impact of signal location on driver behavior at intersections. Violations of stop line crossing behavior and remaining time to stop line are examined, and two types of driver behavior models are presented that address the effects of signal location and other factors. The results consistently reveal that traffic signal location affects drivers’ stopping behavior, suggesting that traffic signal location can jeopardize road safety and therefore should be considered in intersection design.