ndsintxn: An R Package for Extracting Information from Naturalistic Driving Data to Support Driver Behavior Analyses at Intersections

TL;DR

The paper introduces ndsintxn, an R package that automates the extraction of intersection-related data from naturalistic driving studies, simplifying analysis and reducing manual effort for driver behavior research at intersections.

Contribution

The novel R package ndsintxn automates intersection identification and video clip extraction in NDS, streamlining data processing for driver behavior analysis at intersections.

Findings

Reduces manual labor in data extraction

Speeds up intersection analysis workflows

Demonstrates effectiveness with illustrative examples

Abstract

The use of naturalistic driving studies (NDSs) for driver behavior research has skyrocketed over the past two decades. Intersections are a key target for traffic safety, with up to 25-percent of fatalities and 50-percent injuries from traffic crashes in the United States occurring at intersections. NDSs are increasingly being used to assess driver behavior at intersections and devise strategies to improve intersection safety. A common challenge in NDS intersection research is the need for to combine spatial locations of driver-visited intersections with concurrent video clips of driver trajectories at intersections to extract analysis variables. The intersection identification and driver trajectory video clip extraction process are generally complex and repetitive. We developed a novel R package called ndsintxn to streamline this process and automate best practices to minimize computational time, cost, and manual labor. This paper provides details on the methods and illustrative examples used in the ndsintxn R package.