The Effects of Pavement Edgelines on Performance in a Driving Simulator under Sober and Alcohol-Dosed Conditions

Abstract

To identify the impairment effects of alcohol on driving performance and to determine whether providing enhanced visual information concerning roadway alignment would improve the performance of subjects when sober and/or alcohol-dosed, simulations of continuous roadway treatments (i.e., standard and wide edgelines) were evaluated experimentally. Twelve subjects drove a simulator at three levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC: 0.00%, 0.07%, 0.12%). The effects of alcohol included increases in the number of times the speed limit was exceeded, the number of obstacles that were struck, and the magnitude of tracking errors that were made in the approach and negotiation of curves. Edgeline presence was associated with faster curve entry speeds and reduced amount of road used in curve negotiation, both interpreted as positive effects. Additional benefits associated with wide edgelines were minimal.