Safety

The problem faced in EVP deployment decisions is that most of the published research on EVP benefits has focused on measurement of EV travel time reduction.An alternative analytical method may lie in evaluation of conflict points particular to EV passage through signalized intersections. This paper proposes a method for EV-related conflict evaluation that allows transportation professionals to determine the potential safety benefit of EVP. The method uses an EV-specific conflict point analysis based on data collected in an EVP field study conducted in Northern Virginia. EV-related conflict points are characterized in terms of the EV/auto interaction geometry, the signal display, and the severity of potential crashes. Analysis indicates that the number and severity of EV-specific conflict points are significantly reduced with EVP.

Virginia Tech

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

Safety at passive Highway-Railroad Intersections (HRIs) – those without any active warning devices such as flashing lights, gates and bells – has been under particular scrutiny in recent years. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found that more crashes occur at passive crossings than active crossings, for the amount of vehicle and train traffic that passive crossings carry. Minnesota has had an aggressive program for HRI safety, but tools to improve safety at the more than 5,000low-volume passive crossings have been too expensive for wide spread implementation. Recommendations issued by NTSB encourage the U.S. Department of Transportation to explore further how ITS technologies could be used improve safety at passive crossings.

Minnesota DOT

C3 Trans Systems LLC

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

In November, 1999, the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded a major Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) grant to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Minnesota’s project was a three-year Generation '0' Specialty Vehicle field operational test of technology providing lateral guidance and collision avoidance warnings to drivers in low visibility conditions. In addition to MnDOT and FHWA, there were a variety of other public and private partners participating in the project. Active operational testing was conducted over the winter of 2001-2002. The intent of the project was to identify the safety and operational impacts of the technology, to guide future decisions regarding installation on specialized vehicles, and to encourage the development and appropriate deployment of such systems on all vehicle platforms. The technologies were tested in four snowplows, a State Patrol squad car, and an ambulance on a fifty-mile rural highway. This paper provides an overview of the project including technologies and evaluation results.

Minnesota DOT

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) groups 30 member countries in a unique forum to discuss, develop and refine economic and social policies.In the recent past, much attention has been paid to the development of Intelligent Transport Systems that can improve the safety and efficiency of road transport while improving user comfort and convenience. All OECD member countries have been involved in developing or deploying these technologies to some extent. As this process has moved forward, a great deal of information has been developed concerning the benefits that can be realized over time with the full deployment of ITS. Among other things, safety benefits have been measured or estimated for a wide variety of technologies. This report has summarized and documented the current international perspective concerning the ability of ITS to address the road safety situation in the Member countries.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD)

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

The advent of Telematics equipment installed in vehicles to detect an emergency situation opens a new window for handling of these calls. It is critical that, when handling these types of emergency calls, they be delivered to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) having jurisdiction over the incident. It is even more critical that these types of calls appear to the PSAP as a native 9-1-1 call. Native 9-1-1 call treatment ensures that the emergency will be handled in the most expedient manner possible, and the native 9-1-1 delivery of location and important crash data ensures the prompt dispatch of the correct emergency services to the correct location. This paper describes an emergency call solution that meets these requirements and that was demonstrated at the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) National Conference, 6/17-6/20/2002, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Intrado Inc.

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota