IVHS Technologies Applied to Collision Avoidance: Perspectives on Six TargetCrash Types and Countermeasures

摘要

The NHTSA Office of Crash Avoidance Research (OCAR), in conjunction with theResearch and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC), has underway a multi-disciplinary program to: identify crash causal factors and applicable countermeasure concepts, model target crash scenarios and Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) technological interventions, provide preliminary device effectiveness estimates, and to identify countermeasure research data needs. To date, five major target crash types (representing, in the aggregate, more than half of all crashes) have been examined: Rear-End, Backing, Single Vehicle Roadway Departure (SVRD), Lane Change/Merge, Signalized Intersection/Crossing Path. Independent work is also underway to address the drowsy/fatigued driver problem, an example of a target crash definmed by its cause as opposed to its configuration. This is the sixth crash type described in this paper. This paper presents the results to date of the countermeasure assessment; or 'front-end analyses.' The paper reviews 'lessons learned' from these studies and portrays the research in the context of the overall NHTSA IVHS Plan and planned programs to develop IVHS countermeasure performance specifications. The heuristic nature of front-end analysis is emphasized; it is a process that attempts to obtain 'first order' assessments of countermeasure feasibility and to generate questions to be addressed by further research.