The Analysis of drivers’ compliance to speed limits on highway

Abstract

In recent years, Variable Speed Limit (VSL) is adopted as one of the active traffic management system in some developed countries, and VSL works significantly to mitigate congestion and prevent traffic accidents. However, in Japan, the effect of VSL has not been revealed yet. In order to position the VSL as a menu of dynamic traffic management that contributes to easing mitigate congestion and reducing accidents, it is considered that drivers need to recognize the speed control sign include the VSL signs, and they also obey the speed limit. Therefore, in this research, we aim to clarify the potential effect of the VSL signs in Japan and the psychological factor which determines the driver’s behavior to the speed limit on the expressway by using the questionnaire survey. As a result, driver's degree of recognition of VSL signs and speed compliance rate on expressway were shown quantitatively. In addition, it is suggested that the three psychological factor, “selfish belief”, ”normative conscious”, and ”attitude to information”, may have an effect on consciousness on speed limit compliance.