The Impact of In-Vehicle Traffic Lights on Driving Characteristics in the Presence of Obstructed Line-of-Sight

Abstract

In-vehicle traffic lights (IVTLs) have been identified as a potential means of eco-driving. However, the extent to which they influence driving characteristics in the event of obstructed on-road traffic lights (ORTLs) has yet to be fully examined. Firstly, the situation of partially deployed IVTLs in both vehicles was analyzed to identify the factors that affect driving characteristics. Through the following distance model, relative vehicle speed, acceleration and deceleration, and following distance were recognized as the contributing factors. The evaluation indicators for driving characteristics were thereby further established. Then, a hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform was built using PreScan 8.5-MATLAB/Simulink R2018b joint simulation software and a Logitech G29 device. IVTLs were implemented using modules in the joint simulation software. Finally, under the scenarios of obstructed ORTLs and various deployment conditions of IVTLs, the original data were collected from 50 experimental subjects with simulated driving. The subjects included 25 males and 25 females, all of whom were non-professional drivers, with ages ranging from 20 to 40 years old. The conclusion was reached that IVTLs could improve driving comfort by approximately 10% in sunny weather (p = 0.008 < 0.05, p = 0.023 < 0.05; p = 0.046 < 0.05, p = 0.001 < 0.05), driving maneuverability by approximately 30% in foggy weather (p = 0.033 < 0.05), and driving safety by approximately 50% in the ORTLs obstructed by a truck scenario (p = 0.019 < 0.05). In general, even if only one vehicle was equipped with IVTLs, certain gain effects on the driving characteristics of both vehicles could still be provided.