Evacuation behaviour of crowds under high and low levels of urgency: Experiments of reaction time, exit choice and exit-choice adaptation

Abstract

How does evacuation behaviour of crowds vary based on the level of perceived urgency? This question was investigated using two simulated experiments of crowd evacuations, collectively exploring three important aspects of evacuees’ decision-making: reaction time, exit choice and exit-choice adaptation. The analysis of reaction time observations identified a range of factors that determine the delay between the evacuation onset and decisive movement of occupants towards exits. Occupant reactions were on average slower when they were under the low-urgency treatment, when exit capacities were more restrictive and when the individual was located relatively far from the exit locations. Exit-choice..