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Insert the title of your presentation here Spotting the signs: situation awareness at level crossings Presented by Name HereJob Title - Date Presented by Stephanie Cynk

Level crossings in Britain are very safe …but incidents still occur Page 2

Level crossing signs Page 3

T756 – Signs and signals at level crossings • Commissioned by RSSB in 2009 • Aroot and branch review of signing requirements • Without the influence of previous requirements and constraints, • What would be most effective in reducing road user errors at level crossings?

Perception Comprehension Projection Situation awareness (Endsley, 1995; Endsley, 2000) Take in information through senses Use information to forecast future events Assign meaning to information Page 5

Perception Comprehension Projection Situation awareness An example I see a triangular warning sign and light signals ahead I must brake because the barrier will come down and a train will pass through the crossing. I expect other traffic to stop too. The light signals are flashing which means stop Page 6

Blocking back Page 7 • When vehicle drivers enter the level crossing at a time when the crossing exit is blocked (eg by queuing traffic)

Blocking Back • The cause of approximately 7% of the risk associated with vehicles at level crossings • ‘Never drive onto a crossing until the road is clear on the other side.’ Page 8

Another train coming • About 10% of the risk associated with pedestrians at level crossings • The primary indications • signals provided continue to flash red, • the barriers, if provided, stay down • Additional measures • The tone of the audible alarm changes • A sign • A signal Page 9

Another train coming • Sound 1 – alarm for first train • Sound 2 – starts immediately as first train passes, to indicate that another train will pass Page 10

Research questions Page 11 • Does participants’ awareness of the potential for more than one train to pass through the crossing vary by type of level crossing? • Do current second train warning signs and sounds affect awareness of the potential for second trains? • Are participants aware that they should not enter the level crossing before the crossing exit is clear? • Is awareness of blocking back dependent on level crossing type if a lorry is parked at the level crossing exit?

Open Crossing Your text Page 12

Automatic Open Crossing Your text Page 13

Automatic Half Barrier Crossing Your text Page 14

Automatic Half Barrier Crossing (Max) Your text Page 15

Manually Controlled Barrier Your text Page 16

MCG Your text Page 17

Another train coming Page 18

Were any road signs present in the video? If so, which ones? Level 1 & 2 situation awareness Another train coming • Only shown in one scenario • 30 presentations in total • 4 recalled its presence Page 19

Did the level crossing have a barrier? Level 1 situation awareness Generally high awareness One participant viewing the AHB Max said there was no barrier Three who viewed the AOCL said there was a barrier Page 20

Barrier position Level 2&3 situation awareness • Generally high awareness that where barrier was present, it was blocking the road Page 21

Did the level crossing have light signals? Level 1 situation awareness • Generally high awareness • Four participants viewing the MCG said there were signals (and a further two were unsure) Page 22

Signal aspect Level 2&3 situation awareness • Generally high awareness • One participant thought steady amber instead of red • Responses for MCG scenario varied Page 23

Would you expect another train to pass through the crossing after the first one? Level 3 situation awareness *with significant prompting Page 24

Blocking back Page 25

Were any road signs present? If so, which ones? ‘Keep Crossing Clear’ sign Keep Crossing Clear • Generally only one or two participants in each scenario recalled it (when it was presented) • Almost a quarter recalled the sign in the Open Crossing scenario Page 26

Were there any other road users in the scene? Level 1 situation awareness • Generally high awareness of other road users • One participant in AHB Max and MCB scenarios said there were no other road users present • 15 out of 21 drivers in the MCG scenario said there were no other road users Page 27

Progress through the scene Level 2&3 situation awareness Page 28

Discussion • Participants’ recall of signs was low • The Open Crossing was the notably different scenario • Expectation may play an important role in recollection • Recalling light signals where there werenone • Recalling barriers where there were none • Awareness for the potential of more than one train passing through the crossing was generally low • Existing measures make a difference (but a very small difference)

Discussion • In most scenarios, participants were aware of other road users • MCG scenario produced different results • Participants mostly said that they would not proceed onto the crossing • But almost a quarter of participants said they would Page 30

Conclusions • ‘Another train coming’ measures do have an effect • But only a small effect • There is some awareness of the need to ‘Keep crossing clear’ • But there is room for improvement

Do YouHave Any Questions? Page 32

Thank you Presented by Dan BasacikSenior Human Factors Researcher Email: dbasacik@trl.co.uk Page 33

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