LAUSR

Abstract Inappropriate curve speed influenced by the interactions of driver behaviours, vehicle dynamics and road environments is the dominant cause of vehicle lateral instability induced crashes, like sideslips and rollovers. The present study introduced a driver behaviour influence factor associated with drivers’ driving styles comparing to a theoretical curve speed model that only considers the vehicle-road interaction. This factor is defined as the ratio of drivers’ actual selected speed to the theoretical curve speed. Aiming at deriving the factor for different driving styles, it was utilized the 28-item Chinese version of Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). A correlation analysis between DBQ subscales and the factor indicated that a driver with higher violations scores is prone to drive faster in curve negotiation. Based on this finding, 24 experienced professional drivers were classified into two types, i.e. the moderate and the aggressive, corresponding to their scores on DBQ violations scale. Through a simulation, it showed that the improved curve speed model could not only prevent the risks of rollover and sideslip, but also provided different appropriate curve safe speeds in accordance with drivers’ driving styles.