PURPOSES : The effect of yellow carpet visibility enhancement was verified and its impact on traffic safety for effective introduction of traffic safety facilities was studied. METHODS : There is currently no scientific evidence demonstrating that yellow carpets improve pedestrian awareness. In this study, the effect of increasing visibility caused by the installation of yellow carpet was verified, and the effect of improving the level of traffic safety was examined through an objective analysis. A drone was used to collect and analyze video data to compare the driving speeds of vehicles passing near yellow carpets at six different sites and diagnose the effects of speed reduction. RESULTS : The results showed that the visibility improvement values before and after the installation of the yellow carpet differed from place to place, but a visibility improvement effect existed in certain cases. In terms of the adequacy of the installation site, the yellow carpet had no deceleration effect on vehicles driving on signalized local streets and collector highways. It was found that there was a speed reduction effect on unsignalized local streets. CONCLUSIONS : To enhance traffic safety promotion, yellow carpets should be placed on unsignalized local streets. It is important to place the yellow carpet in the right place in a proper manner.

PURPOSES : Evaluation of the effectiveness of changing the form of yellow carpet installation as a way to reduce child pedestrian traffic accidents. METHODS : Through expert opinion, two improvement plans for yellow carpet installation (oblique type, extended type) were derived. The improvement paln was built in virtual reality, and a virtual driving experiment was performed using a driving simulator and eye-trakcing device. The improvement effects of the two alternatives were evaluated by analyzing eye-tracking data and driving behavior. RESULTS : In the case of the oblique type, it was analyzed that it was effective in improving the total gaze time and first gaze position compared to the normal type. In the case of the extended type, it was analyzed that the workload during operation can be reduced. However, neither of them had a significant effect on driving behavior. CONCLUSIONS : Although the change in the yellow carpet installation type did not affect the driver's driving behavior, it had advantages in terms of visual behavior and workload while driving, so it can be considered as an alternative among measures to improve traffic accidents involving children and pedestrians.

PURPOSES : This study analyzes the effectiveness of different types of children's safety devices in a school zone. The analysis targets are yellow carpet type A (installed up to the floor and wall) and yellow carpet type B (installed only on the floor). METHODS : Based on field data collected at a school zone in Seoul, statistical tests were conducted to compare three different pairs of data: (1) none vs. yellow carpet type A, (2) none vs. yellow carpet type B, and (3) yellow carpet types A and B. The test employed two different measures: (1) the level of drivers’ eye attention and (2) the level of the vehicle deceleration rate. The study utilized software named "Visual Attention Software" to quantify the level of drivers’ eye attention at the location where children pedestrians were waiting for a green signal. It also utilized the Vegas (pro 17) image processing software to reduce the cruising speed data frame-by-frame from the video streaming data. The image data used in this study were collected with (1) camcorders attached to a test vehicle and (2) a drone aerial imaging technique. RESULTS : It was found that the level of the drivers’ eye attention level improved in the daytime when either of yellow carpet types A and B was placed; moreover, the safety enhancement effects were statistically identical. However, in nighttime, the measures only improved when the yellow carpet type A was placed. It was learned that yellow carpet type A provides significant safety effects according to both measures, i.e., the level of drivers’ eye attention and cruising speed. CONCLUSIONS : The test results suggest that the yellow carpet type A should be installed in school zones to maximize the safety effects of yellow carpets.