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dc.creatorPicha, Dale Louis
dc.date.accessioned2012-06-07T22:37:59Z
dc.date.available2012-06-07T22:37:59Z
dc.date.created1994
dc.date.issued1994
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1994-THESIS-P592
dc.descriptionDue to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to digital@library.tamu.edu, referencing the URI of the item.en
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.en
dc.description.abstractStopping sight distance (SSD) design values are a major influence in the geometric design of horizontal and vertical alignment. The current SSD equation, developed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1940, incorporates two components into geometric design, a perception-response time (PRT) component and a braking distance component. Because of the importance of sight distance on highways, previous research has questioned the assumptions of these two components, specifically whether the equation accurately reflects driver and vehicle behaviors during a braking maneuver. This research evaluated the two components of the SSD equation. Four field studies were conducted that evaluated driver braking performance to an unexpected object, as well as for expected object conditions, to better quantify perception response times, braking distances, and deceleration characteristics for these two conditions. The effects of pavement conditions and different geometry sections, as well as the effects of antilock brakes, were also evaluated. Results of the research indicated that nearly all drivers can respond faster than the 2.5 second factor in the AASHTO perception-response time component. Furthermore, the results indicated that nearly all drivers can perform a braking maneuver, on wet and dry pavements, in a shorter distance than the derived value of the AASHTO braking distance component. The results of the research also indicated that drivers do not perform locked-wheel braking maneuvers, but rather, controlledtype maneuvers by modulating the pressure applied to the brake pedal.en
dc.format.mediumelectronicen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherTexas A&M University
dc.rightsThis thesis was part of a retrospective digitization project authorized by the Texas A&M University Libraries in 2008. Copyright remains vested with the author(s). It is the user's responsibility to secure permission from the copyright holder(s) for re-use of the work beyond the provision of Fair Use.en
dc.subjectcivil engineering.en
dc.subjectMajor civil engineering.en
dc.titleEvaluation of driver braking performance to an unexpected object in the roadwayen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplinecivil engineeringen
thesis.degree.nameM.S.en
thesis.degree.levelMastersen
dc.type.genrethesisen
dc.type.materialtexten
dc.format.digitalOriginreformatted digitalen


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