Due to constraints of cost, space, and the absence of specific standard guidelines regarding taper length and traffic cone spacing, the upstream transition areas of highway work zones cannot be standardized effectively, this issue exacerbates traffic risks and contributes to frequent accidents. To investigate the effects of taper length and traffic cone spacing on driving behavior, three representative deployment schemes were developed: control group A (taper length of 100 m and cone spacing of 2 m), experimental group D (taper length of 80 m and cone spacing of 2 m), and experimental group E (taper length of 100 m and cone spacing of 5 m). Using high-fidelity driving simulation experiments, a dynamic response model of driving behavior was developed, and an evaluation system was established based on three dimensions: response timeliness, operational stability, and behavioral compliance. The criteria importance through intercriteria correlation-weighted fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was applied to evaluate the effectiveness of the deployment schemes. The results demonstrate that visual guidance significantly influences drivers’ speed adaptability during the cumulative stage of the early warning effect. The scheme with 5 m traffic cone spacing significantly reduces speed and throttle fluctuations during the obstacle avoidance stage and alleviates driver workload (with the standard deviations of speed and acceleration decreasing by 20.51% and 69.21%, respectively, and the speed consistency index reaching 0.999 14). A shortened taper length enhances driver sensitivity during obstacle avoidance and control but substantially increases operational workload (with the standard deviation of acceleration rising by 67.24% compared with the control group). The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation identifies Scheme E as the optimal configuration. It is concluded that taper length and traffic cone spacing exert significant influences on driving behavior. Appropriately extending the taper length and optimizing the cone spacing can enhance the operational safety and stability of work zones. The findings provide a quantitative basis for the optimal design of traffic safety facilities and offer technical support for improving design specifications of upstream transition areas and the precise deployment of early warning schemes.