@article{Song:207265,
      recid = {207265},
      author = {Song, Miao and Wang, Jyh-Hone},
      title = {Studying the tailgating issue in rhode island and its  treatment},
      address = {2010-03},
      number = {1430-2016-118690},
      pages = {17},
      year = {2010},
      abstract = {A human factors study was conducted to investigate the  tailgating issue in Rhode Island and possible means for  tailgating treatment. Tailgating is an aggressive driving  behavior with a deadly consequence. Following a vehicle too  close, i.e., with less than two seconds of following  distance, is considered tailgating on Rhode Island  highways. To mitigate rear-end collisions caused by  tailgating, this study aimed to find out causes of  tailgating and public's opinions on tailgating issue as  well as to identify possible tailgating treatments.  Consisting of a vehicle headway analysis and a  questionnaire survey, this study first assessed the  tailgating situation on major Rhode Island highways.  Surveillance videos capturing 8-lane traffic on three test  sites of I-95, I-195, and I-295 in Rhode Island were taken  during both rush hours and non-rush hours each day in a  two-week period during December 2008. Based on the time  stamp embedded in videos, vehicle headways were collected  by calculating the intervals between two consecutive  vehicles on the same lane passing a fixed reference point.  Vehicle headways were tabulated in increments of seconds by  day of the week, time of the day, and test site. The  results identified serious tailgating situation on Rhode  Island highways. More than 60% of vehicles were following  with less than 2 seconds of headways during rush hours  while 38% were tailgating during non-rush hours. It further  found that vehicles on the high speed (innermost) lane  exhibited the worst tailgating behavior, especially during  rush hours. With serious tailgating issue confirmed, a  two-phase questionnaire survey was developed to help find  the causes of tailgating and to identify drivers’ responses  to proposed tailgating treatments. The first phase was  designed to identify the causes and effects of tailgating,  and to gain insights about drivers’ understanding and  interpretation of tailgating behavior. Nineteen questions  presented in PowerPoint slides were shown to 210 subjects  participated in this phase to capture their perceptions on  various tailgating issues. The second phase was developed  to gather drivers' preferences regarding several proposed  tailgating treatment systems. These systems, consisting of  pavement marking, roadside marking, dynamic message sign,  and fixed road sign were presented to 142
subjects in  simulated driving videos in six questions. The questions  were presented in a sequential manner and the choices shown  in a question would depend on the answer chosen in the  previous question. Survey results obtained from the first  phase found that the majority of drivers did not know what  the proper vehicle headway was to keep while following  other vehicles on highways. Most of them considered  tailgating a serious offense and one of the top three major  causes of highway crashes, however, most of them still  maintained insufficient vehicle headways while driving on  highways. This finding further confirmed the observations  made in the vehicle headway analysis, that is, most drivers  on Rhode Island highways maintained insufficient vehicle  headways. From the second phase of the survey, it found  that the majority preferred horizontal bars painted on  pavement as a means to help maintain safe following  distance. Drivers would be advised to keep two bars visible  from the vehicle ahead. Coupled with the pavement marking,  most of them preferred to have the overhead graphic-aided  dynamic message signs as a way to communicate to drivers  about safe following distance. Based on the results of this  study, recommendations to Rhode Island traffic management  authorities were made. The findings of this study could  contribute to the development of a standard tailgating  treatment system to be included in MUTCD and help  facilitate a more efficient and safer driving on US  highway.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/207265},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.207265},
}