Effects of Fog in a Brazilian Road Segment Analyzed by a Driving Simulator for Sustainable Transport: Drivers' Speed Profile under In-Vehicle Warning Systems

Intelligent transport systems enable vehicles to communicate with each other and with the environment, ensuring road safety. Their implementation can help reduce the number of accidents, especially in stretches of s-curves, where speed control is essential to ensure the safety of drivers, and under hazardous weather conditions. Such systems promptly notify drivers about potentially dangerous road conditions, such as fog, so that they can better adapt their driving behavior. This study evaluates the driver's speed profile in different scenarios (clear weather, fog weather, and fog with an in-vehicle fog warning system) considering the road geometry elements (s-curves). A driving simulator recreated the real scenarios of a principal Brazilian road segment, showing the geometric and weather conditions of a road known for its several s-curves and frequent incidence of fog. A preliminary study identified the most critical curves through a weighted severity index methodology to define the critical segment. The results showed drivers considerably reduced their speed in the scenario with a warning system, thus contributing to the safety of s-curved segments. The implementation of in-vehicle warning systems can avoid or reduce the need for major infrastructure interventions such as geometric design, through investments in new intelligent transport systems.

Automated summary

Intelligent transport systems can enhance road safety in critical segments such as s-curves by evaluating driver speed profiles in different scenarios and implementing in-vehicle warning systems.