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• Study surveyed vehicle owners who have had their crash avoidance features repaired. • Features of interest were front crash prevention, blind spot detection, and cameras. • Although repairs often improved feature performance, post-repair issues were common. • Calibration problems may have contributed to many of these post-repair issues. • The repair process needs to be simplified and repair solutions made more accessible. Introduction : Popularity of crash avoidance features is growing, but so too is confusion around how to repair them, how much repairs should cost, and who should pay for those repairs. This study's purpose was to capture how these issues are affecting consumers. Method : A total of 496 vehicle owners in the United States were surveyed online and by phone about their experiences repairing front crash prevention (n = 359), blind spot detection (n = 317), and/or driver assistance cameras (n = 348) equipped on their personal vehicles. Results : Owners tended to have multiple reasons for repairs. Repairs due to vehicle (i.e., crash or windshield) damage corresponded with the greatest likelihood of post-repair issues, especially if calibration was performed, and higher out-of-pocket costs (possibly because of deductibles or other repair work). About half of respondents who had calibrations performed on features repaired because of vehicle damage reported persisting issues with the features after repair. Post-repair issues were more common for repairs performed at independent repairers than dealership service centers, yet similar feature calibration rates were reported for both types of repairers. More people went to dealership service centers than independent repairers, and these respondents were more likely to say they would return to this type of facility for a similar repair in the future. Although most repairers explained why repairs occurred, less than half of respondents said they completely understood the reasons given. Conclusions : There are new complications in the repair cycle affecting consumers. Post-repair issues are more prevalent than previously assumed, regardless of the crash avoidance feature repaired. Practical applications : Post-repair issues risk undermining consumer acceptance and the safety potential of critical features. Simplifying the repair process and establishing affordable and accessible centralized databases with repair specifications and instructions from the manufacturers would be a start to addressing industry-wide challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this research study was to estimate the number of left turn across path/opposite direction (LTAP/OD) crashes and injuries that could be prevented in the United States if vehicles were equipped with an intersection advanced driver assistance system (I-ADAS). Methods: This study reconstructed 501 vehicle-to-vehicle LTAP/OD crashes in the United States that were investigated in the NHTSA National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS). The performance of 30 different I-ADAS system variations was evaluated for each crash. These variations were the combinations of 5 time-to-collision (TTC) activation thresholds, 3 latency times, and 2 different response types (automated braking and driver warning). In addition, 2 sightline assumptions were modeled for each crash: One where the turning vehicle was visible long before the intersection and one where the turning vehicle was only visible within the intersection. For resimulated crashes that were not avoided by I-ADAS, a new crash delta-V was computed for each vehicle. The probability of Abbreviated Injury Scale 2 or higher injury in any body region (Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale [MAIS] 2+F) to each front-row occupant was computed. Results: Depending on the system design, sightline assumption, I-ADAS variation, and fleet penetration, an I-ADAS system that automatically applies emergency braking could avoid 18-84% of all LTAP/OD crashes. Only 0-32% of all LTAP/OD crashes could have been avoided using an I-ADAS system that only warns the driver. An I-ADAS system that applies emergency braking could prevent 47-93% of front-row occupants from receiving MAIS 2 + F injuries. A system that warns the driver in LTAP/OD crashes was able to prevent 0-37% of front-row occupants from receiving MAIS 2 + F injuries. The effectiveness of I-ADAS in reducing crashes and number of injured persons was higher when both vehicles were equipped with I-ADAS. Conclusions: This study presents the simulated effectiveness of a hypothetical intersection active safety system on real crashes that occurred in the United States. This work shows that there is a strong potential to reduce crashes and injuries in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are a class of vehicle technologies designed to increase safety by providing drivers with timely warnings and autonomously intervening to avoid hazardous situations. Though laboratory testing suggests that ADAS technologies will greatly impact crash involvement rates, real-world evidence that characterizes their effectiveness is still limited. This study evaluates and quantifies the association of ADAS technologies with the likelihood of a moderate or severe crash for new-model BMWs in the United States.Methods: Vehicle ADAS option information for the cohort of model year 2014 and later BMW passenger vehicles sold after January 1, 2014 (n = 1,063,503), was coded using VIN-identified options data. ADAS technologies of interest include frontal collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection. BMW Automated Crash Notification system data (from January 2014 to November 2017) were merged with vehicle data by VIN to identify crashed vehicles (n = 15,507), including date, crash severity (delta V), and area of impact. Using Cox proportional hazards regression modeling, the study calculates the adjusted hazard ratio for crashing among BMW passenger vehicles with versus without ADAS technologies. The adjusted percentage reduction in moderate and severe crashes associated with ADAS is interpreted as one minus the hazard ratio.Results: Vehicles equipped with both autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning were 23% less likely to crash than those not equipped (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.81), controlling for model year, vehicle size and body type. Autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning generally occur together, making it difficult to tease apart their individual effects. Blind spot detection was associated with a 14% reduction in crashes after controlling for the presence of autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning (HR =0.86; 95% CI, 0.744-0.99). Differences were observed by vehicle type and crash type. The combined effect of autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning was greater in newer model vehicles: Equipped vehicles were 13% less likely to crash (HR =0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.95) among 2014 model year vehicles versus 34% less likely to crash (HR =0.66; 95% CI, 0.57-0.77) among 2017 model year vehicles.Conclusion: This robust cohort study contributes to the growing evidence on the effectiveness of ADAS technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Recently developed advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have the potential to compensate for teen driving errors and reduce overall crash risk. To date, very limited research has been conducted on the suitability of ADAS for teen drivers-the population most likely to benefit from such systems. The opportunity for ADAS to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes involving teen drivers is hindered when there is a lack of trust, acceptance, and use of those technologies. Therefore, there is a need to study teen and parent perceptions of ADAS to help identify and overcome any potential barriers to ADAS use.Methods: A U.S. national survey was developed based on themes from previously conducted teen and parent ADAS focus groups. Survey topics included trust in ADAS, effect of ADAS on teen driver safety and driving behavior, effect of ADAS on skill development, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Responses included 5-point Likert scales and open-ended questions. The survey was managed through an online respondent panel by ResearchNow. Eligibility criteria included licensed teens (16-19 years) and parents of licensed teens. Teen and parent responses were compared using chi-square statistics in SAS 9.4.Results: Two thousand and three (teens = 1,000; parents = 1,003) respondents qualified for and completed the survey between September 1 and September 20, 2017. Overall, teens (72%) and parents (61%) felt that ADAS would have a positive impact on transportation. However, teens were more likely to exhibit a positive outlook on ADAS, whereas parents were more likely to have a negative outlook (P < .01). Teens felt that ADAS would be useful during bad weather or drowsy driving but were less concerned than parents about ADAS intervention during their own risky driving (P < .01). The majority of teens (65%) and parents (71%) agreed that teens should learn to drive on vehicles without ADAS, with parents being more likely to agree than teens (P < .01). Parents (55%) were more likely than teens (47%) to be concerned about insurance companies keeping track of teen driving data (P < .01). Most respondents exhibited some concern of ADAS being susceptible to hacking (57%).Conclusions: This study represents the first effort to quantify ADAS perceptions among teen drivers and their parents at the U.S. national level. These data highlight potential barriers to ADAS use among teen drivers, including a relative disinterest among teens for ADAS intervention during risky driving as well as concerns among both teens and parents that ADAS will inhibit skill development. These survey findings will help inform educational programs to accelerate fleet turnover and provide the foundation for ADAS optimization and evaluation studies among sociodemographic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States has over three trillion vehicle miles of travel annually on over four million miles of public roadways, which require regular maintenance. To maintain and improve these facilities, agencies often temporarily close lanes, reconfigure lane geometry, or completely close the road depending on the scope of the construction project. Lane widths of less than 11 feet in construction zones can impact highway capacity and crash rates. Crash data can be used to identify locations where the road geometry could be improved. However, this is a manual process that does not scale well. This paper describes findings for using data from onboard sensors in production vehicles for measuring lane widths. Over 200 miles of roadway on US-52, US-41, and I-65 in Indiana were measured using vehicle sensor data and compared with mobile LiDAR point clouds as ground truth and had a root mean square error of approximately 0.24 feet. The novelty of these results is that vehicle sensors can identify when work zones use lane widths substantially narrower than the 11 foot standard at a network level and can be used to aid in the inspection and verification of construction specification conformity. This information would contribute to the construction inspection performed by agencies in a safer, more efficient way.

While digital map has been applied to many advanced driver assistance system applications, one critical attribute - road/lane curvature—is not available in the existing digital maps. Curvature derivation using splines is a well-known method in the computer graphics modelling community; however, it was also found that the direct application of the spline method is often not appropriate for real-time safety applications due to the resultant discontinuities in the curvature estimates and the lack of robustness against map data errors [CAMP, Enhanced digital mapping project final report, United States Department of Transportation, Washington, DC, 2004]. This paper presents a method to reconstruct road curvature attributes in real time using digital map data based on the proposed circle centre search and circle selection algorithms. Simulation and experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method can deliver curvature estimates that meet the desired accuracy. The method was also applied to the curve over-speed warning system in an on-going research project: Vehicle Infrastructure Integration—California. Some preliminary experimental results are also presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]