Analysis of the trajectories of drivers in bends : experimental results
Résumé
Loss of control in curves is responsible for a major part of accidents, especially on secondary roads, where two thirds of fatal accidents do occur in France. In view of this difficulty, the improvement of the road safety involves a better knowledge of the driving behaviours in bends. Moreover, road managers need diagnostic tools for several applications : firstly, to identify dangerous areas in their network, particularly in bends, where drivers could react inappropriately ; secondly, to analyse the impact of an infrastructure's modification (road markings, road signs, etc.) on the driver's behaviour. In order to reach both of these goals, a multi-sensors roadside system, named ODT (French acronym for Trajectory Observation Station), has been developed. This measurement system was installed for several weeks in different experimental sites in France. Thus, a great number of speed and lateral position data were collected. This paper presents results coming from the measurement campaigns and exposes the methodology used to characterize the trajectories of the vehicles. By this analysis, a level of risk could be defined which consolidates the safety diagnostic of the study area.