| Popis: |
Car drivers' spontaneous speed choice in urban areas was studied and compared with posted speed limits. Two groups of middle-aged men, experienced car drivers, participated in the study. One group consisted of thirteen drivers with at least five years experience of car driving in Linköping. The other group consisted of eight drivers with very little experience of car driving in Linköping. The participants drove a pre-determined test route in the city of Linköping four times with covered speedometer. The total driving distance was 96 km. The participants were alone in the car during driving. Route guidance was given during the drive, both verbally and visually. The location and timing of the guidance were controlled by a GPS-based computer. Before the test drive the participants were instructed to drive as they normally do without stress. The participants' speed (75th percentile) for each of the route sections and for each of the four drives was measured and analysed. After completion of the test the participants rated some of the route sections. The measured speed varied substantially between route sections (traffic environments). However, the agreement between measured speeds across route sections was large between as well as within individuals. Along some route sections the speed was higher, and along others it was lower, than the posted speed limit. The speed variation across traffic environments (route sections) can to a large extent be explained by the variation between the traffic environments and to a much less extent by the variation between participants. |
