Abstract
This paper investigated the impact of deregulating the presence of stop signs prior to entering railway crossings on driver behavior at the onset of warnings of the railway crossings. When the warning of the railway crossing was presented to drivers, we evaluated the drivers′ cognition about the current situation, their decision making about “pass through” or “stop before” the railway crossing, and their actual behavior. Driving simulator experiments were conducted, and the driving behaviors were assessed based on the driving speeds and the presentation timings of the warning. In addition, the driving behaviors at the beginning of the warning were compared with the behaviors when a traffic light turned to yellow at an intersection. The results suggested that, in an optional zone where the drivers could both pass through and stop before the railway crossing, they stopped inside the intersection with the traffic light more frequently compared to the railway crossing due to their longer reaction time, and they made decision of “pass through” the railway crossing more frequently compared to the intersection with the traffic light.
