Minnesota drivers are over-represented in accidents at rural stop-controlled intersections. There is also evidence that drivers in other states as well as older drivers are involved in many of these crashes. A task analysis and literature review showed that rural drivers could be getting into accidents because of problems detecting vehicles or gaps, perceiving or estimating the size of gaps, and/or judging gaps as safe. It is suggested that intersection decision support (IDS) systems present drivers with information elements that help them correctly identify and locate other vehicles and in some cases highlight (safe) gaps in approaching traffic. Several design concepts are proposed and research needs are discussed.
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