Evaluating the impact of setting delineators in tunnels based on drivers’ visual characteristics

Poor visual conditions in tunnels can easily cause traffic accidents, and it is difficult for emergency services to reach these areas. As an economical and effective visual guiding device, delineators have attracted wide attention. Based on the actual alignment of the Qinling Mountain No.1, No.2 and No.3 tunnels of the G5 Expressway in Xi’an City (Shaanxi Province, China), this paper designs a simulation experiment. Through a simulator study and a questionnaire survey, this paper discusses how delineators affect drivers’ visual characteristics (including fixation area and pupil size) in different settings and with different road alignments. Twenty-five subjects participated in this research. The results show that setting delineators in tunnels can continuously guide drivers’ vision and attract their attention to focus on the pavement. Compared with setting only pavement delineators, setting wall delineators and pavement delineators together can provide better guiding effects and ensure driving safety in both straight and curved sections. In addition, when driving in tunnels equipped with delineators, especially tunnels with both wall delineators and pavement delineators, the participants exhibited a smaller pupil diameter and lower pupil diameter change rate. In terms of the relationship between pupil size and road alignment, the results indicated that regardless of what type of delineator was used, the drivers exhibited the smallest pupil size and lowest pupil change rate when driving on the straight section compared with the curved sections.