Weaving lanes in different operating speed conditions: a driving simulator study

Weaving maneuver is one of the most difficult maneuver to analyze in terms of road safety because, as well demonstrated in previous studies, the combination of concentrated flows in a specific area produces some conflict points and therefore induces more risk conditions. This element has to be designed with a specific geometry, in order to ensure both maneuvers, deceleration for exit and acceleration for entrance into the flow of main lane. The focus of this paper is to analyze the drivers’ behaviour on different types of weaving lanes in various traffic conditions by means of an interactive driving simulator. Three different lengths of weaving lane combined with four different traffic flow conditions are simulated and drivers’ performance have been analyzed. The analysis of the maneuver has been addressed under a geometrical point of view with the aim of providing a methodology able to define the weaving lane length based on the analysis of drivers’ behaviour. The results show a variability in terms of drivers’ behavior depending on the speed of approach to the weaving lane.