Abstract
Underground urban expressways which have great potential to settle many existing transportation-related problems may pose unknown risks regarding traffic safety. Vehicle accident in tunnel can more seriously damage road infrastructure and human life than outside roads because of its closed space especially in deep underground road. Therefore, it is important to consider the safety countermeasure for preventing not only a single-vehicle crash but also multi-vehicle crashes which are more damaging. We conducted a unique driving experiment with virtual reality (VR) where the multiple subjects can drive simultaneously in the same roadway space. With this experiment, we collected the microscopic driving data of multi-vehicle accidents that originated in a single-vehicle accident. The results of data analysis reveal some important factors causing the occurrence of multi-vehicle accidents and simulate the probability of the occurrence of multi-vehicle crashes.
