Can light emitting diode-based road studs improve vehicle control in curves at night? A driving simulator study

Road delineation treatments enhance the ability of drivers to control their vehicle safely on winding roads. A simulator experiment compared night-time driving on a country road under three conditions: on an unlit road, on a road illuminated on curves by typical road luminaires, and on a road with an active lane delineation application, where self-luminous road studs are turned on to outline the lane and road edges as the driver approaches and passes the curves. The unlit condition induces greater lateral position variability and longer crossovers relative to the studs condition, demonstrating better lateral vehicle control in the latter. The luminaires condition induce greater lateral position variability in left curves, and longer crossovers in right curves, relative to the studs condition, which also demonstrates a better lateral vehicle control in the studs condition. At a subjective level, the participants perceived both the studs condition and the luminaires condition as safer, more comfortable and allowing better control than the unlit road. It was concluded that the tested application enhanced the ability of drivers to control the virtual car, as compared to an unlit road or road lighting.