Understanding left-turn vehicle-pedestrian accident mechanisms is critical for
developing accident-prevention systems. This study aims to clarify the features
of driver behavior focusing on drivers’ gaze, vehicle speed, and time to
collision (TTC) during left turns at intersections on left-hand traffic roads.
Herein, experiments with a sedan and light-duty truck (< 7.5 tons GVW) are
conducted under four conditions: no pedestrian dummy (No-P), near-side
pedestrian dummy (Near-P), far-side pedestrian dummy (Far-P) and near-and-far
side pedestrian dummies (NF-P). For NF-P, sedans have a significantly shorter
gaze time for left-side mirrors compared with light-duty trucks. The light-duty
truck’s average speed at the initial line to the intersection (L1) and
pedestrian crossing line (L0) is significantly lower than the sedan’s under
No-P, Near-P, and NF-P conditions, without any significant difference between
any two conditions. The TTC for sedans is significantly shorter than that for
trucks with near-side pedestrians (Near-P and NF-P) and far-side pedestrians in
Far-P. These insights can contribute to the ongoing development of
accident-prevention safety systems for left-turning maneuvers at
intersections.
