The J-turn intersection is a novel roadway design which decreases the points of conflict at an intersection, by restricting straight crossing and left-turning movements from the minor road across the highway. The novelty of the intersection design may lead to driver errors and dissatisfaction. This study provides an examination of how naïve or first-time drivers may initially navigate J-turns during their first and early exposures to the novel intersection design. Thirty-six participants with limited previous experience and knowledge of J-turns participated in a simulation study to examine their acceptance of J-turns and left turning navigational performance at three simulated J-turn intersections in counterbalanced order, each featuring one of three signage levels. Results revealed participants committed slightly more frequent minor errors (e.g., inefficient lane selection) and significantly more major errors (e.g., missed U-turn) during the first J-turn exposure and these errors tended to decline during subsequent exposures, while moderate severity errors (e.g., risky lane change) slightly increased. Participants’ J-turn acceptance significantly declined following simulated driving exposure. The decline in J-turn acceptance was found to be greater among participants who experienced major severity errors; however, more frequent minor errors were associated with increased acceptance. Signage level had little effect on errors, but participants preferred improved signage or on-road markings to guide crossing movements. This work suggests that advanced educational programs and community initiatives should be utilized to prepare drivers for how to navigate J-turns rather than only rely on J-turn exposure to improve driver performance and acceptance.

中文翻译：

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驾驶员导航误差的评估和模拟 J 形转弯路口的验收

J 形转弯交叉口是一种新颖的道路设计，通过限制从次要道路穿过高速公路的直行交叉和左转运动，减少交叉口的冲突点。交叉口设计的新颖性可能会导致驾驶员失误和不满。这项研究检验了新手或初次驾驶者在第一次和早期接触新颖的交叉路口设计时如何最初驾驶 J 形转弯。36 名对 J 型转弯经验和知识有限的参与者参加了一项模拟研究，以检查他们对 J 型转弯的接受程度以及在三个模拟 J 型转弯交叉口的左转导航性能（按平衡顺序排列），每个交叉口都具有三个标牌级别之一。结果显示，参与者在第一次 J 形转弯暴露期间犯下的小错误（例如，低效的车道选择）稍微频繁一些，而严重错误（例如，错过掉头）则明显更多，并且这些错误在随后的暴露中趋于减少，而中等严重程度的错误（例如，危险的变道）略有增加。在模拟驾驶经历后，参与者对 J 型转弯的接受度显着下降。研究发现，经历过重大严重错误的参与者对 J 型转弯的接受度下降幅度更大。然而，更频繁的小错误与接受度的提高有关。标牌水平对错误影响不大，但参与者更喜欢改进的标牌或道路标记来引导过路口的移动。这项工作表明，应利用先进的教育计划和社区倡议来帮助驾驶员做好如何驾驶 J 形转弯的准备，而不是仅仅依靠 J 形转弯的经验来提高驾驶员的表现和接受度。