Impact of perceptual treatments on driver's behavior : From the driving simulators studies to the field tests, first results

The present research was done in the context of the French national multidisciplinary research project, PREDIT-SARI. Our study focused on the risk related to crest vertical curves (CVC) on rural roads, using a field site proposed by a local operator of the French road network (Conseil General de Maine-et-Loire, 49). The final goal was to test one road treatment on the real road. A first step, by using driving simulators, has determined the two most effective perceptual treatments (i.e., rumble strips on both sides of the centerline and sealed shoulders) in order to help drivers to maintain lateral control when driving on CVCs. The second step consisted to collected data on the drivers' trajectories on the field site during two periods: before the setting-up of the centerline rumble strips (CRS), and the second one after the setting-up. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the CRS on the driver's behavior, and we have compared the results obtained in the field study with those of the driving simulators' studies. This comparison has highlighted that the trends observed both on driving simulators and on the real site are similar.