Understanding Drivers' Interaction With Traffic Environments - A Traffic Semantic Approach

Paper in proceeding, 2024

The pilot study approached traffic environments as semantic constructions to explore the meaning-making processes that shape road users' perceptions of and interactions with traffic environments. Conducted in a basic driving simulator, the study involved eight participants who viewed a pre-recorded video of a driven route, paused at six pre-defined traffic situations. Throughout the session, participants were encouraged to think aloud, and at each interval, they completed a questionnaire. Three interdependent contextual spheres were identified which influenced the participants’ perception and interpretation of the situations, risks involved, and how they would plan their actions: (a) the broader geographical area; (b) the specific traffic site encompassing dynamic traffic elements (i.e. other road users) and non-dynamic infrastructural elements (road layout, speed bumps, signage, etc.), and (c) the individual and their attributes (e.g. driving experience) as well as their earlier familiarity with the type of - or the specific - traffic site.