Safety

VicRoads, which is the State road authority for the Australian State of Victoria, has implemented a
successful trial of an emergency vehicle priority system at traffic signals on a strategic corridor in
the south east of Melbourne. Seven locally-based emergency services vehicles (Victoria Police,
Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Ambulance Service) were fitted with mobile infrared
transmitters (emitters). The emitters produce a strobing light of a pre-determined frequency. The
light from the emitter is not visible or in any way harmful to road users. Key approaches at five
intersections on the trial corridor were fitted with receivers. These receivers detect the approach of
an activated emitter. On receipt of this detection, a call for a special emergency vehicle phase is
activated through SCATS which is Melbourne’s traffic signal system. The trial was commissioned
in March 2003. Testing of the system has been conducted and the results are very encouraging. The
results indicate the system is operating in accordance with the system parameters with an
acceptable level of priority achieved for emergency services vehicles during ‘urgent duty driving’.
Victoria Police are evaluating the system from an emergency vehicle driver’s perspective for the
three emergency services participating in the trial. VicRoads is considering expansion of the
system to other routes as well as adapting the technology to other related applications such as
public transport priority.

VicRoads, Australia

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

Growing concern over traffic safety has led to research efforts directed towards predicting
freeway accidents in ATMS (advanced traffic management systems) environment. This study
aims at developing accident likelihood prediction model using real-time traffic flow variables
and rain data potentially associated with accident occurrence. Archived loop detector and rain
data and historical accident data have been used to calibrate the model. This model can be
implemented using on-line loop and rain data to identify high accident potential in real-time.
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Logistic Regression have been used to estimate a
weather model that determines a rain index based on the rain readings at the weather station in
the proximity of the freeway. A logit model has also been used to model the accident potential
based on traffic loop data and the rain index. The 5-minute average occupancy and standard
deviation of volume observed at the downstream station, and the 5-minute coefficient of
variation in speed at the station closest to the accident, all during 5-10 minutes prior to the
accident occurrence along with the rain index have been found to affect the accident occurrence
most significantly.

University of Central Florida

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

An integrated, automated and consistent accident reaction system will be described. The
purpose of the system is to keep an incident’s consequences to an acceptable level both in
terms of economical losses and personal injuries.
The basis is a communication system that offers guaranteed bandwidth to every application.
But in order to make the reaction fast and adequate the system must also tightly integrate all
equipment on a software protocol level, both legacy and new technologies. Finally, a
predictable reaction, avoiding human error, is only possible if the system includes a certain
intelligence and knowledge of the environment.
The advantages of the concept are illustrated using a “real life” scenario. The paper concludes
listing the advantages of the proposed solution and the requirements imposed on the
communications system.

Siemens NV, Belgium

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

RECmodeler is a modular simulation tool built to evaluate alert criteria for
collision avoidance systems, including information that might be available from a
vehicle-to-vehicle communications system. No assumptions were made about the
specific communications system or available datum; the goal was to evaluate
what data would be most useful. The single-lane, rear-end collision, lead-vehicle
decelerating scenario was chosen as the best test case for demonstrating the
effectiveness of the methodology. Software modules built to date include four
different sensor models and a fuzzy-logic driver model. Communications can be
limited by both distance and direction, in order to limit nuisance alerts. The
results of this prototype evaluation indicate that alert thresholds based on velocity
differences or deceleration can be more effective than those based on closing rate
or following distance. The ability of the cooperative system to immediately alert
to the risky actions of vehicles at a distance, prior to those vehicles actually
posing a crash risk themselves, provides an extra level of performance relative to
systems that alert based only on recognition of an imminent crash situation.

D.G. Steigerwald – Johns Hopkins University

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

The rapid expansion of a global economy, marked by increasing international
competition, has placed increasing pressure on all business sectors to maintain ambitious
production schedules, improve customer service and communications, and expedite the
flow of goods to market and end-users, while at the same trying to minimize costs in all
aspects.
Time pressures to deliver cargo more quickly than ever are focusing attention on groundair
intermodalism. Truck-to-air cargo movements are growing at a rapid rate. The
concern is exacerbated by the fact that much of the air cargo is transported on passenger
planes. In responding to these factors, the federal government has identified air cargo
security as a primary area of vulnerability.
Recent, air cargo-related tragedies (in particular the May 11, 1996 ValuJet 592 crash in
the Florida everglades, where oxygen generators are theorized to have brought down the
plane), rising terrorism, and increasing levels of cargo theft have increased the risks and
costs of air transport. To support the needs of the marketplace and to ensure the security
of air passengers and cargo shipments, new tools and processes are being explored.

ATA Foundation

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