Self-explaining road
A self-explaining road or street is an urban design approach in which the physical configuration of the roadway allows drivers to intuitively understand how they should behave, without relying on signs or explicit rules. The goal is for elements such as lane width, road geometry, pavement or the visual environment to clearly convey the appropriate behavior, helping to prevent accidents.[2][3]
This concept is based on principles of traffic psychology, according to which road users interpret their surroundings to make decisions while driving. When roads display visual characteristics that are consistent and differentiated according to their function, drivers learn to recognize them quickly and adjust their driving appropriately, without the need for explicit regulation.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Conducir sin señales". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2005-03-21.
- ^ "Self-Explaining Road Concept". Road Safety Toolkit.
- ^ "Self explaining roads - Mobility & Transport - Road Safety". road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu.
- ^ Theeuwes, Jan; Snell, Joshua; Koning, Trisha; Bucker, Berno (2024-04-01). "Self-Explaining Roads: Effects of road design on speed choice". Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. 102: 335–361. doi:10.1016/j.trf.2024.03.007. ISSN 1369-8478.