Exploring the impacts of Intelligent Winter Road Information System on travel choices in winter weather: insights from a stated-preference survey

Winter hazards can lead to traffic safety issues, often resulting from uninformed travel decisions. To address these challenges, the Intelligent Winter Road Information System (IWRIS) was developed to improve driver awareness by providing supportive information and timely alert notifications through various media platforms. This study utilizes a stated preference survey to examine how travelers respond to IWRIS and assesses its impact on driver decision-making during winter conditions. The results indicate a strong correlation between the consistent acceptance of navigation system recommendations, overall system usage, and critical variables, such as weather conditions, driver experience, route familiarity, and vehicle characteristics. The study underscores the necessity of understanding the impact of information provision on travel choices in challenging winter conditions and highlights the need for systems that effectively adapt to the unique challenges of winter.