Abstract
Drivers should have intentions to follow the leading vehicle, to decelerate, or to merge safely with merging vehicle while they are driving. These intentions are regarded as meaningful factors to understand driving behaviors. We call these intentions “Driving Intentions”, and try to reveal the influence of the external stimulation based on classifiable Driving Intentions. In an empirical study, Driving Intentions were collected through interviews with subjects after driving experiments on virtual expressways using a driving simulator. Information for safety merging was provided to the subject drivers at a merging section on one of the virtual expressways for the experiment. We analyze the effect of the provided information as a specific external stimulation. It is found that drivers change their Driving Intentions in the section of an expressway where the information provided. Then we use the information of Driving Intentions for the analysis of two relationships. One is the relation between the provided information and Driving Intentions, and the other is the relation between Driving Intentions and vehicles’ movements.
