Analysis of gap-acceptance behavior at road junctions: experiments with a driving simulator

In this paper the preliminary results of experiments on gap-acceptance behavior using a fixed-base driving simulator are described. The analysis focuses on the right turn maneuver from a minor street at a priority road junction between two-lane two-way rural roads. The primary objectives of the research are: to test the driving simulator ability to represent a real gap-acceptance situation, by comparing the results with those obtained from the analysis of the real junction, and to analyze the effect on gap-acceptance behavior of conditions that are not easily recorded in the real situation.