Safety

Intersection collisions account for a significant portion of accidents and fatalities on roadways. We are developing a vehicle-to-vehicle cooperative collision warning system as part of our effort to enhance driver ’s awareness of roadway situation and to reduce the accident rate.

Qingfeng Huang, Ronald Miller

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 26 - 28, 2004 San Antonio, Texas

With the planned 5-year reconstruction of I-235 through the Des Moines area, the Iowa
Department of Transportation (DOT) placed high priority on developing and maintaining an
effective program to manage traffic conditions and handle highway incidents within the Region
during reconstruction activities. The DOT received support for the development of a Traffic
Management System of cameras, dynamic message boards, sensors, and other traveler
information systems. Coordination/sharing of traveler information with local agencies and the
public was a priority. During 2004/2005, the field hardware (80 sensor devices, 44 cameras, 26
DMS- permanent and portable) was installed and tested. In addition, a Highway Advisory Radio
(HAR) system and TripGuide website was implemented. Simultaneously, the agencies in the
Region developed and coordinated a solid incident management program aimed at developing
common policies and procedures to be used during an incident. They included: activation/deactivation
of dynamic message signs, use of cameras, and use of pre-set messages. The end result
is an effective and efficient Team effort in responding and the handling of highway incidents,
particularly under the traffic constraints expected to occur during the reconstruction of I-235
within the Region.

Jacobs Civil Inc

Iowa DOT

Presented at the 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 6-10, 2005, San Francisco, California

In order to develop a better understanding of work zone traffic control problems, traffic crashes
statistics in work zones on urban arterial streets in Texas were collected and analyzed. The
objectives of the analyses were to determine major accident types, factors contributing, as well as
other characteristics, which can support development of traffic control improvement solutions.
The analysis showed two major groups of contributing factors. The first group that contributed to
around 34% of crashes includes conscious violations by drivers, such as driving while
intoxicated and speeding. From traffic engineering perspective the second group, such as
disregarding signs, failure to yield right-of-way, and improper maneuvering, contributing to
around 64% of investigated crashes, are of major importance. While drivers can commit such
violations consciously, they can also be due to inadequate perception of traffic situations, caused
by insufficient or missing information. The analyses highlight the potential for improvements of
work zone traffic control planning and The findings of the accident statistic analysis were
integrated with field observation findings and investigations of driver behavior (not discussed in
this paper), and support the recommendations for work zone signing and traffic control device
location, better suited to human abilities and behavior.

The University of Texas at Austin, USA

Presented at the 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 6-10, 2005, San Francisco, California

Emergency Evacuation is one most protective measure and viable alternative during regional emergencies in response to both natural and man-made disasters. Several evacuation traffic models have been developed and currently available to support the planning and analysis of emergency evacuation. However, to be effective, the decision-makers must understand how these models can be used to facilitate the planning, analysis, and deployment of emergency evacuation for populations at risk. This paper reviewed and analyzed various traffic models, suggested how to improve the operational planning of emergency evacuation, and recommended the necessary technological enhancements for evacuation traffic models.

RSPA/US.DOT

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 29 –May 2, 2002 Long Beach, California

Emergency Evacuation is one most protective measure and viable alternative
during regional emergencies in response to both natural and man-made
disasters. Several evacuation traffic models have been developed and currently
available to support the planning and analysis of emergency evacuation.
However, to be effective, the decision-makers must understand how these
models can be used to facilitate the planning, analysis, and deployment of
emergency evacuation for populations at risk. This paper reviewed and analyzed
various traffic models, suggested how to improve the operational planning of
emergency evacuation, and recommended the necessary technological
enhancements for evacuation traffic models.

RSPA/US.DOT

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 29-May 2, 2002, Long Beach, California