How traffic conditions affect driver behavior in passing maneuver

The paper reports the outcomes of an experimental study carried out using an interactive fixed-base driving. The research was aimed at analyzing the driver behavior in passing maneuver for different traffic on two lane rural roads. A two-lane rural road of more than 8 km in length was designed and in the driving simulator. The alignment was designed with tangents from 200 to 1000 m long, and curves with radii from 215 to 1000 m. Four different traffic conditions in terms of traffic and speeds of opposing vehicles and impeding vehicles were simulated. Thirty-two drivers drove in simulator on the four scenarios. The data collected during the driving was analyzed in order to determine following parameters of passing behavior: a) following gap between the passing vehicle and the vehicle at the beginning of the passing; b) distance of passing; c) Time to Collision between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle at the end of the maneuver. The influence of the traffic conditions such parameters was evaluated. Potential applications of the obtained results include the modelling of behavior and the passing sight distance design criteria.