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2010-0296, The populations of the United States (US) and Michigan are aging. This demographic trend will continue to have a significant impact on society for the next few decades, particularly in the area of safe mobility in rural areas. As the population of Michigan’s rural older adults continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly crucial that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) understand the mobility needs and issues of rural older adults, including the issues faced by Indian Tribes in rural Michigan, and be proactive in addressing these needs and issues in their activities. This project provides the background and suggestions to help MDOT identify areas where they significantly impact the safe mobility of Michigan’s rural older adults. The overall goal of the project is to help maintain the safety and well-being of Michigan’s rural older adult residents by providing recommendations on how current alternative transportation services could be improved to be more attractive to older adults while addressing cultural and psychological barriers to using these services. This goal was achieved through a literature review, an analysis of demographic data, a statewide survey of older adults living in six rural counties of Michigan, structured interviews with public and community transportation providers, and group discussions with representatives of three Indian Tribes located in rural Michigan. The complete results of these research activities, a list of recommendations for improving rural older adult mobility in Michigan, and an implementation plan are included in this report.

"This document presents the methodology and results from the heavy-truck field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effect of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver acceptance. The heavy-truck platform included three integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed on a fleet of 10 Class 8 tractors and operated by18 commercial drivers for 10 months. Each truck was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a post-drive survey and debriefings., The results indicate that integrated crash warning systems not only offer benefits relative to improved driver performance (e.g., improved headway keeping), but that the majority of commercial drivers accepted the system and reported subjective benefits from the integrated system they used. Of the drivers who participated, 15 out of 18 stated that they preferred a truck with the integrated system, stating that they would also recommend that their company consider the purchase of vehicles with integrated safety systems installed. No negative behavioral adaptation effects from the drivers‘ 10-month use of the integrated system were observed."

DRDA 04-4274, This report describes the development of a new coding scheme to classify potentially distracting secondary tasks performed while driving, such as eating and using a cell phone. Compared with prior schemes (Stutts et al., first-generation UMTRI scheme), the new scheme has more distinctive endpoints for tasks and subtasks, is less subjective (e.g., no “high involvement” eating), includes codes for activities absent from prior schemes (e.g., chewing gum), and more closely links subtasks to visual, auditory, cognitive, and psychomotor task demands. The scheme has codes for 12 tasks (use a cell phone, eat/drink, smoke, chew gum, chew tobacco, groom, read, write, type, use an in-car system, internal distraction, and converse) plus codes for drowsiness. The scheme takes several factors into account, such as where the driver is looking, where the driver’s head is pointed, what the driver’s hands are doing, the weather, and the road surface condition. Each main task was divided into 3 to 17 subtasks (e.g., groom using tool, reach and get phone). This scheme was used to code video clips of drivers’ faces from the ACAS field operational test. In the first pass, 2,914 video clips were coded (for task, drowsiness, weather, and road) using custom UMTRI software. In the second pass, a sample of 403 distracted and 416 nondistracted clips were coded frame by frame (15,965 frames) for the subtasks performed, gaze direction, and where the head was pointed.

DTMC75-08-H-00005, This report provides documentation for UMTRI’s file of Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents, (TIFA), 2008, including distributions of the code values for each variable in the file. The 2008, TIFA file is a census of all medium and heavy trucks involved in a fatal accident in the United, States. The TIFA database provides coverage of all medium and heavy trucks recorded in the, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) file. TIFA combines vehicle, accident, and occupant, records from FARS with information about the physical configuration and operating authority of, the truck from the TIFA survey.

Code 302753, "SAE Recommended Practice J852 and ECE Regulations 119 and 48 for cornering lamps, were compared. Photometric points described in each specification were then compared, to naturalistic low-speed turn trajectories produced by 87 drivers. Future locations of a, vehicle engaged in a turn were calculated based on the vehicle’s momentary position and, speed, and the calculated time required to bring a vehicle to a complete stop. The, angular offset and distance separating current and future positions were compiled to, produce a map of useful preview positions—that is, positions relative to the current, position of the vehicle that are far enough away to allow a driver to successfully stop if, an object is first seen there. The distribution of preview positions shows strong, concentrations between 30 and 35 degrees to the right or left of the current direction of, travel. Geometric characteristics of this distribution were then compared to the geometry, implied by the photometric minimum points indicated in the two specifications., Implications for path illumination during turns were discussed."

This survey of the feasibility of introducing carbon capture and storage (CCS) into light vehicles, started by reviewing the level of international support for CCS in general. While there have been, encouraging signs that CCS is gaining acceptance as a means to reduce carbon emissions, the overall, outlook looks somewhat mixed. Recent developments in the US, the UK, Germany, India, and China, are discussed to obtain an indication of how likely it is that CCS technologies will gain acceptance, in each respective country., Fossil fuels continue to be a versatile means of energy storage, especially compared with, many low-emissions alternatives. This is noted because, apart from reduced fuel consumption, CCS technology is key to reducing CO2 emissions produced by the use of fossil fuels in, transportation., Primary focus in this review was placed on post-combustion-capture technologies because, these mechanisms are most easily adapted for use with the existing fleet of internal combustion, engines. Three post-combustion-capture mechanisms were described: absorption, membrane, separation, and adsorption., Considerations about the consumer’s operational costs were discussed, including storage, management of captured CO2, additional energy costs to support separation and storage, discharge procedures, and vehicle maintenance costs. Models of consumer inclination to adopt, new technologies were also reviewed. An important component of a consumer’s motivation to, adopt eco-friendly transport is perceived financial benefit. This suggests that incentives beyond, reduced emissions may be required to motivate consumer adoption of vehicle-based CCS because, the link between emissions and fuel consumption may change.

The Unified Tool for Mapping Opportunities for Safety Technology (UTMOST), is a model of crash data that incorporates the complex relationships among different, vehicle and driver variables. It is designed to visualize the effect of multiple safety, countermeasures on elements of the driver, vehicle, or crash population. We have, recently updated UTMOST to model the effects of the time-course of fleet penetration, of vehicle-based safety measures, as well as changes in the populations of drivers and, vehicle types in the fleet. This report illustrates some of the capabilities of UTMOST, with examples of predicted effects for one reasonably well understood countermeasure, (electronic stability control, ESC) and three countermeasures just entering the vehicle, fleet (forward collision warning, FCW; road departure warning, RDW; and lane change, warning, LCW). Results include the relative effects of the countermeasures on the, overall number of crashes and on drivers of different ages. The report also illustrates, the time-course capability of UTMOST by showing year-to-year savings in serious, injuries and fatalities for a driver-based countermeasure (increased belt use), which, would have an immediate effect throughout the vehicle fleet, compared to ESC, which, as a vehicle-based countermeasure would affect new vehicles as they enter the fleet.

DTNH22-05-01020, A total of 49 dynamic sled tests were performed with the Hybrid III 10YO to examine issues relating to child belt fit. The goals of these tests were to evaluate ATD response to realistic belt geometries and belt fit, develop methods for accurate, repeatable evaluation of restraint conditions for older children, identify dependent measures that differentiate between good and poor restraint performance, and relate ATD performance to static belt fit with children. The first series of tests examined the effects of lap belt tension, belt configuration, and seating procedure on dynamic responses of the ATD. The second series of tests examined how different designs of booster seat lap belt guides and shoulder belt guides affect performance. In addition, the ATD’s response to different shoulder belt and lap belt geometries was evaluated. With regard to test procedures, use of a lap/shoulder belt with a sliding latchplate produced similar results to using a lap/shoulder belt with fixed anchorages. Use of a production retractor reduced shoulder belt load, as well as head, neck, and chest measures. Reducing lap belt tension to a more realistic 2 lb (rather than 15 lb) did not have a pronounced effect on ATD kinematics with two different booster seats. The UMTRI seating procedure, which produces ATD postures closer to those measured in real children, also prevents the lap belt from being trapped in the gap between the pelvis and the thigh. Use of the UMTRI seating procedure produces more reclined initial postures and more pronounced chin-to-chest contact. A well-designed booster lap belt guide can maintain good belt position dynamically, even with poor lap belt geometry. Shoulder belt guide designs affect ATD kinematics. However, preventing the shoulder belt from coming out of the shoulder belt guide does not necessarily produce better restraint performance, because the belt can still come off of the ATD shoulder during the event, and stiffening booster seats does not necessari

This report presents the results of a three-part study of truck driver exterior vision and its safety consequences. In part one, crash data are analyzed to document vision-related truck crash issues. About 20% of truck-initiated crashes occur in, configurations in which limitations to truck driver vision may have been an important factor contributing to the crash., Right-going lane changes and turns account for more than half of these crashes. On average, right-going truck-initiated, crashes are about 4.5 times more likely than left-going crashes. Non-motorists killed in startup and right-turn crashes were, nearly all adults and tend to be older the pedestrians struck in other crash modes, suggesting that near-field truck vision, analyses should focus on adults rather than children. Over half of pedestrians involved in start-up crashes are over age 65., An experimental study showed that driver performance in detecting lane-change conflicts was directionally consistent with, the findings from the crash data. Drivers took longer to detect conflicts on the right side of the vehicle than on the left. The, longest reaction times were observed when the target vehicle was directly to the right of the cab, suggesting that detecting a, conflict in this area is most difficult for drivers. Drivers also made more errors on the right side of the vehicle, including, several failures to detect a vehicle directly to the right of the cab. Based on these findings, a prioritized set of vision zones, was developed. The highest priority for improvements to driver vision is the area directly to the right of the truck cab. This, area represents the most likely position of a crash partner at the truck driver’s decision point in right lane-change crashes and, is also the pre-crash position of many non-motorists involved in right turn and start up crashes. This report presents a new, approach to evaluating exterior vision from truck cabs. The method differs from previous approaches, e.g., SAE J1750, by, providing an aggregate score that is related to a specific crash-safety issue. The method is based on the visibility of standing, adult pedestrians, and hence addresses the specific problem of pedestrian involvement in start up and right turn crashes. The, experimental paradigm presented in Section 3 also represents a promising approach to evaluating the quality of exterior, vision provided by alternative vision systems. The time drivers require to determine if a conflict exists provides a sensitive, measure of the difficulty of the task. The parallels between the findings of the experimental study and the crash data, analysis support the validity of the experimental approach. This method could be applied to evaluate alternative mirror, systems, camera-based systems, and other technologies that might be developed to address the priorities established in this, report.

383818, "This study examined the changes from 1983 to 2008 in the percentage of persons with, a driver’s license as a function of age. The results indicate that, over the past 25 years, there, was a substantial decrease in the percentage of young people with a driver’s license, and a, substantial increase in the percentage of older people with a driver’s license. Furthermore, for, cohorts who were between 20 and 44 in 1983 (and thus between 45 and 69 in 2008), the, percentage of licensed drivers has not changed appreciably between 1983 and 2008. This, finding suggests that, for all practical purposes, all those who wanted to get a driver’s license, did so by age 20. Finally, for cohorts who were between 45 and 59 in 1983 (and thus between, 70 and 84 in 2008), this percentage dropped substantially. This finding reflects the giving up, of driver’s licenses with advanced age. The potential implications of future licensing trends on, vehicle demand, safety, and environment were briefly discussed."

This document presents the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s plan to, perform analysis of data collected from the light vehicle platform field operational test of the, Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The purpose of the IVBSS program, is to evaluate the effectiveness of, and driver acceptance for, state-of-the-art integrated crash, warning systems for both passenger cars and commercial trucks. The light vehicle platform in, the IVBSS FOT includes four integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, lateral drift, curve speed, and lane-change/merge crash warnings)., The integrated crash warning system is installed into a fleet of 16 passenger cars, each of which, is instrumented to capture detailed data regarding the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. The cars will be operated by 108 randomly, selected, licensed drivers from southeast Michigan. Each driver operates the instrumented car in, place of the car they normally drive for a period of 40 days—including a 12-day baseline period., Data on driver acceptance for the integrated system are being collected through a post-drive, survey and debriefings., The plan describes analyses that emphasize a summary of integrated crash warning system, activity, examine how the integrated system affects driver behavior, and assess driver acceptance, for the integrated system. The analyses are intended to be complementary to analyses being, performed by an independent evaluator, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.

This project investigated the usability of Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) hardware by measuring LATCH implementations in 98 2011 or 2010 model-year vehicles. ISO and SAE LATCH usability rating systems were used to assess all vehicles using data from the second row left position. Child restraint/vehicle interaction was assessed using both ISO and NHTSA proposed procedures. Volunteer testing was performed with 36 subjects on 12 different vehicles using 3 different child restraints, with each subject performing 8 child restraint installations., The results from the vehicle survey indicate that most vehicle manufacturers provide LATCH hardware at only the minimum number of locations required by FMVSS 225. Only 7 vehicles had three sets of LATCH hardware in the second row, while most of the remaining 91 vehicles were only equipped with LATCH in each outboard position and a tether anchor in the center position. In the 21 vehicles with a third row, four had no tether anchors and 11 had no lower anchors in the third row. The SAE child restraint fixture could not be installed in 27 vehicles, although head restraint interference was the cause of interference in only one vehicle. Fifty-nine vehicles met the SAE recommended lower attachment force of 75 N (16.9 lb) or less, while 15 vehicles required forces from 2 to 8 times this value. Only 2 vehicles met SAE recommendations for clearance angle of at least 75 degrees around the lower anchors. The depth of the lower anchors relative to the bight is less than 2 cm in 28 vehicles, 2-4 cm in 34 vehicles, and greater than 4 cm in 36 vehicles. The most common location for the tether anchor is the seatback (42) and package shelf (35). The lower anchors are marked in 77 vehicles, while the tether anchors are marked in 68 vehicles. Only Ford products clearly specify weight ranges for use of LATCH hardware in their manuals. Many vehicle manuals are not clear on how the head restraint should be positioned during child restraint installation., ISO ratings of vehicle LATCH usability ranged from 41% to 78%, while vehicles assessed using the SAE draft recommended practice met between 2 and all 10 of the recommendations. There was a slight correlation between vehicles meeting SAE recommended practices and ISO usability ratings. Twenty vehicles with a range of vehicle features were assessed using the ISO vehicle/child restraint form and 7 child restraints; ISO vehicle/child restraint interaction scores ranged from 14% to 86%. Based on these interaction scores, the Cosco Alpha Omega, the Chicco KeyFit, and Evenflo Maestro were used with a subset of 12 vehicles to perform volunteer testing and assess the quality of subject installations. No vehicle factors predicted tether use or correct use of tether. However, the correct use of lower anchors was associated with a lower anchor clearance angle greater than 54°, an attachment force of 40 lb or less, and lower anchor depth within the bight of less than 2 cm. Correct lower anchor use also had 3.3 times higher odds of tight installation compared to incorrect use.

SPR 000¿1(147) 396¿9B, As part of the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Program, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) constructed five Specific Pavement Studies 9 (SPS‐9) test sections on U.S. Route 93 near Kingman. This project, SPS‐9B, studied the effect of asphalt specifications and mix designs on flexible pavements, specifically comparing Superpave mix designs with commonly used agency designs. Opened to traffic in 1992, the project was monitored at regular intervals until the pavement was rehabilitated in 2006. Surface distress, profile, and deflection data collected throughout the life of the pavement were used to evaluate the performance of various flexible pavement design features, layer configurations, and thickness. In terms of structural cracking and smoothness, the agency standard mix design performed better than the Superpave mix designs in this study. This report documents the analyses conducted as well as practical findings and lessons learned that will be of interest to ADOT.

DTNH22-06-H-00055, "Young people, in particular young males, are overrepresented in fatal crashes. In part, this elevated fatal crash rate results from the lack of seatbelt use among teen drivers and passengers. A recent review of more than 200 teen-targeted programs for promoting belt use found that few were effective and none were empirically based on an understanding of the cognitive processes underlying the decision for a teen to use or not use a seatbelt. Seatbelt use researchers face a daunting challenge: How can we explain and influence the behavior of part-time seatbelt users? Our approach to this challenge rested on the assumption that a driver‘s seatbelt use—or nonuse—is at least partly a product of the driver‘s decisions. A ―decision‖ is a commitment to a course of action that is intended to serve the interests and values of particular people, sometimes called the intended beneficiaries. In this study, we distinguish two levels of seatbelt use decisions: policy and spot. A driver‘s seatbelt use ―policy‖ is a rule the driver says that he seeks to follow in determining whether to use his seatbelt on a given trip. In the present research, a ―spot decision‖ is a driver‘s decision about whether to use a seatbelt on a given trip—literally on the spot. The theory guiding this work was the ―cardinal issue perspective‖ (CIP) on decision making. According to the CIP, 10 issues arise in every decision situation, in some form or another. Further, each of those issues is resolved somehow by the decision maker, deliberately or not. The study involved the recruitment of 24young male drivers. Each participant drove an instrumented vehicle, equipped with several sensors including a camera that began recording in-cabin behavior when the vehicle door opened, for 12 days. After review of the driving and belt use data by research staff, participants completed a detailed interview of their belt use policies and spot belt use decisions. The results showed that belt use varied as a function of the

DTNH22-95-H-07428, This interim document reports on a cooperative agreement between NHTSA and UMTRI entitled Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) Field Operational Test (FOT). The overarching goal of the work is to characterize safety and comfort issues that are fundamental to human interactions with an automatic headway keeping system. This report (1) summarizes the status of the FOT and (2) presents preliminary results and findings deriving from the testing activities now in progress. It describes the work done to prepare and instrument a fleet of 10 passenger cars with infrared ranging sensors, headway control algorithms, and driver interface units as needed to provide an adaptive cruise control (ACC) functionality. The vehicles have been given to lay-drivers to use for two weeks as their personal cars. Based upon data from 35 drivers, objective and subjective results support the following preliminary observations: (1) ACC driving is reported to be comfortable and is perceived as stress-relieving; (2) The kinesthetic sensation of ACC-induced deceleration was often cited by drivers as a vigilance-enhancing cue, perhaps implying a safety benefit; (3) Drivers appear to learn how to use ACC quickly and to converge on a strategy that meshes with their driving style -- the data contain a natural type of “bias” by which manual driving appears riskier than ACC driving in part because denser, more conflict-laden, traffic induces drivers to turn the ACC system OFF; (4) Under virtually all conditions in which ACC is engaged, drivers choose (and the system provides) headway distances that are greater than those seen when the same person drives manually; (5) ACC driving results in fewer “near approaches” to the preceding vehicle than does manual driving; (6) Headway-keeping behavior differs markedly with driver age. Younger drivers are typically more aggressive, operating at shorter headways; (7) Given the properties of the ACC system being studied, a minimal impact on the accident record would be

The parking assistance system evaluated consisted of four outward facing cameras whose images could be presented on a monitor on the center console. The images presented varied in the location of the virtual eye point of the camera (the height above the vehicle and forward depression angle) and the number of camera images (one or multiple) appearing together. In the experiment, 16 drivers (eight under age 30, eight over age 65) parked a 2002 Infiniti Q45 in an 8.5-foot-wide stall. Each subject parked 24 times, using the various image combinations or no assistance at all. Parking clearances (the closest approach distance on the driver and passenger side, distance to a wall in front) declined with practice, stabilizing to 4 inches laterally and 13 inches in front after about three unrecorded practice trials and 15 test trials. Overall, age and sex differences were not large, though older drivers were more variable than younger drivers in how far they parked from the end of a stall. Finally, there were no statistically significant differences among camera image combinations, or differences from no-assistance conditions. Only half of the subjects made significant use of the assistance system, which is not an unusual outcome given its early state of system development. Of the image combinations examined, those with a single image field resulted in subjects parking 2 inches closer to the wall than those with multiple fields. Overall, subjects preferred scenes presenting what appeared to be a single image. Subjects reported that the aerial view was the most helpful.

2009-0747, The key project objectives were: 1) the demonstration and evaluation of a low cost data acquisition system that would provide a rich data set accumulated from multiple vehicles, and 2) establish how this data, coupled with situational data from other sources, might be used to detect slippery road conditions, rough road conditions and potentially other beneficial uses by the Michigan DOT. This work is part of an on-going research initiative to identify how state DOTS will use and benefit from the large quantities of data to be generated by future connected vehicle programs and to assist in refining connected vehicle system requirements. This Slippery Road Detection (SRD) project is a focused effort on a specific set of uses but may nevertheless fit under the larger umbrella project called Data Use and Analysis Processing (DUAP) which is similarly identifying Michigan DOT functional requirements for each of the larger operational departments in MDOT.

DTMC75-06-H-00003, This report is part of a series evaluating the data reported to the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash File undertaken by the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The earlier studies showed that reporting to the MCMIS Crash File was incomplete. This report examines the factors that are associated with reporting rates for the state of Vermont., MCMIS Crash File records were matched to the Vermont crash file to determine the nature and extent of underreporting. It was necessary to focus just on crashes involving a fatality, A-injury or B-injury, because of problems identifying MCMIS reportable crashes in the Vermont crash file. It appears that Vermont reported 64.9 percent of these crash involvements in 2008., Reporting rates were found to be related to crash severity, the configuration of the vehicle, and the type of enforcement agency that covered the crash. Over 71 percent of fatal crash involvements were reported, 54.5 percent of A-injury involvements, and 67.1 percent of B-injury involvements. More than 66 percent of reportable involvements of truck involvements were reported, but the reporting rate was 50.0 percent for buses., Missing data rates are low for most variables. Corresponding data elements in the MCMIS and Vermont crash files were reasonably consistent, though all cases reported as truck with trailer in the MCMIS file were recorded as tractor-semitrailers in the Vermont crash file.

2003-0026/Z12, 2009-0747/Z3, This report covers several key subjects related to the generation of IntelliDriveSM probe vehicle data and use of this data in, application of interest to state departments of transportation and local public transportation agencies. The evaluations, conducted as part of this project are primarily based on the probe vehicle data collection system that was deployed by the U.S., Department of Transportation (USDOT) around Novi, Michigan, in 2008 for its Vehicle‐Infrastructure Integration (VII) Proof‐of‐, Concept (POC) test program. This system was designed around the use of the 5.9‐GHz Dedicated Short Range Communication, (DSRC) wireless protocol to enable vehicles to communicate with Roadside Equipment (RSE). The generation of snapshots, further followed the protocols defined within the SAE J2735 DSRC Message Set standard., Following a general introduction in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 briefly reviews the protocols that were used to generate and retrieve, probe vehicle snapshots, while Chapter 3 presents a general evaluation of the POC test data that were accumulated during the, 2008 test program. This is followed by a presentation in Chapter 4 of the evaluation framework of the current project. This, presentation includes an overview of the envisioned DUAP system and descriptions of project stakeholders, potential data, sources, supporting technologies, applications of interests, and potential operational constraints. Chapter 5 then presents a, general description of the Paramics IntelliDriveSM virtual simulator that is used to conduct some of the subsequent evaluations., While the initial POC test program aimed to evaluate data collection capabilities across a range of application, this program, was significantly shortened due to various technical issues. This resulted in incomplete data collection and partial application, designs that were insufficient to complete the initial project deliverables associated without rely on simulation. Chapter 6, then examines the effects of snapshot generation protocols and privacy policies on data latency, data quality, and the ability, to track vehicles over short distances. Chapter 7 follows with a mapping of application data needs and general descriptions of, processes required to convert raw probe data into useful information, while Chapter 8 evaluates how basic traffic flow, performance measures (flow rates, flow density, travel times, speed profiles, queue parameters) can be estimated from probe, data in systems featuring full and partial proportions of probe vehicles. Chapter 9 further develops a concept of operations for, an enhanced traffic monitoring system incorporating probe vehicle and other data sources, while Chapter 10 investigates, various issues that must be considered when developing application deployment plans. Chapters 11, 12 and 13 finally present, a summary of primary findings, lessons learned and recommendations for future work.

The objectives of this study were (1) to estimate the effectiveness of seatbelts and driver, airbags for mitigating medium- and heavy-truck driver injuries, and (2) to discuss the, implication of these estimates with respect to truck-driving conditions in the U.S. and China., U.S. data showed that fatal or serious injuries of truck drivers are caused mainly by, rollover, collision with a light vehicle or another truck, or collision with fixed objects., Rollover crashes account for most serious injuries, and pose the highest injury risk per crash., By controlling for the difference in crash-type distributions between trucks and light vehicles, seatbelts were estimated to be about 58% effective in reducing truck-driver injuries—, comparable to the value for light vehicles. Airbags’ effectiveness was calculated to be about, 6% for unbelted truck drivers and 4% for belted truck drivers—lower than that for light, vehicles, primarily because of the higher proportion of rollover injuries sustained by truck, drivers., The main relevant difference between truck-driving conditions in the U.S. and China is, the seatbelt-use rate of truck drivers: greater than 70% in the U.S., but likely less than 10% in, China. This difference would likely reduce the true effectiveness of seatbelts. Therefore, it is, important to encourage Chinese truck drivers to wear seatbelts, because the effectiveness of, seatbelts at high use rates is much greater than that for airbags. In addition, the lower truck, traveling speeds in China would likely result in a lower percentage of truck rollover crashes, than in the U.S. Consequently, the effectiveness of both seatbelts and airbags in reducing truck, driver injuries may be slightly higher in China than in the U.S.

Driver posture data from a laboratory study and an in-vehicle test-track study were used to develop and to, evaluate a new seating accommodation model and eyellipse for SAE Class-B vehicles. The new statistical, models are configurable for population anthropometry; include the effects of steering wheel position, incorporate a new method based on driver preference for using the adjustment range of highly adjustable, steering wheels as input to the models; and are customizable to any desired accommodation level. The new, seating accommodation model predicts ranges of fore-aft seat-position that are similar to those in SAE, J1517, but includes simultaneous prediction of vertical seat adjustment range. The new eyellipse is almost, twice as tall as the current J941 Class-B eyellipse, due to the incorporation of vertical seat adjustment. The, new eyellipse is narrower in plan view and aligned with the vehicle grid, unlike the J941 eyellipse., Predictions from the new model compared well with driver seat positions and eye locations measured in six, test vehicles, although extensive seat-position censoring in four of the test vehicles limited the comparison., The new models are more accurate and much more flexible for application to modern trucks and buses with, vertically adjustable seats and tilt/telescope steering columns.

2010-0296, The populations of the United States (US) and Michigan are aging. This demographic trend will continue to have a significant impact on society for the next few decades, particularly in the area of safe mobility in rural areas. As the population of Michigan’s rural older adults continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly crucial that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) understand the mobility needs and issues of rural older adults, including the issues faced by Indian Tribes in rural Michigan, and be proactive in addressing these needs and issues in their activities. This project provides the background and suggestions to help MDOT identify areas where they significantly impact the safe mobility of Michigan’s rural older adults. The overall goal of the project is to help maintain the safety and well-being of Michigan’s rural older adult residents by providing recommendations on how current alternative transportation services could be improved to be more attractive to older adults while addressing cultural and psychological barriers to using these services. This goal was achieved through a literature review, an analysis of demographic data, a statewide survey of older adults living in six rural counties of Michigan, structured interviews with public and community transportation providers, and group discussions with representatives of three Indian Tribes located in rural Michigan. The complete results of these research activities, a list of recommendations for improving rural older adult mobility in Michigan, and an implementation plan are included in this report.

"This document presents the methodology and results from the light-vehicle field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effects of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver acceptance. The light-vehicle platform included four integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, curve speed, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed on a fleet of Honda Accords driven by 108 lay-drivers for a period of six weeks each. Each vehicle was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a post-drive survey, debriefings, and focus groups., Key findings indicate that use of the integrated crash warning system resulted in improvements in lane-keeping, fewer lane departures, and increased turn signal use. Research also indicated that drivers were slightly more likely to maintain shorter headways with the integrated system. No negative behavioral adaptation effects were observed as a result of drivers’ involvement in secondary task behaviors. Drivers generally accepted the integrated system, and 72 percent of the drivers reported they would like to have such a system in their personal vehicles. Drivers also reported that the blind-spot detection component of the lane-change/merge crash warning system was the most useful aspect of the integrated system."

In this study, subjects in a driving simulator followed a lead vehicle that continuously changed speed, while they also performed a secondary task on a touch-screen monitor that could be located at various, positions within the simulator. Subjects were instructed to give priority to the following task. Driving, performance in the following task was affected by whether or not the secondary task was required, but, was not affected by the location of the monitor. However, consistent with the instructions about priority, of tasks, time to complete the secondary task was strongly influenced by monitor position. Farther, locations required more time, especially for shorter subjects. Analysis of the number and timing of, glances away from the road suggested that subjects coped with the more difficult monitor positions, primarily by making more glances to the monitor, while the average duration of individual glances was, not much affected. These results suggest that the subjects’ partial success in coping with the secondary, task was possible because the secondary task could be broken down into partially independent subtasks., This study was part of a modeling effort designed to better understand the combined visual and motor, demands of secondary tasks, and how they are affected by the design of controls and displays. Various, ways in which this study should be extended to support that modeling effort are reviewed.

This study examined the relationship between two economic indicators—the, unemployment rate and the price of gasoline—and the fuel economy of purchased new, vehicles. A regression analysis was performed on U.S. monthly data from October 2007, through February 2011. The main finding is that the fuel economy of purchased new vehicles, can be well predicted from the unemployment rate and the price of gasoline.

Performing Organization Code 383818, "This report presents information about the effects of decisions that a driver can make to, influence on-road fuel economy of light-duty vehicles. These include strategic decisions, (vehicle selection and maintenance), tactical decisions (route selection and vehicle load), and, operational decisions (driver behavior)., The results indicate that vehicle selection has by far the most dominant effect: The best, vehicle currently available for sale in the U.S. is nine times more fuel efficient than the worst, vehicle. Nevertheless, the remaining factors that a driver has control over can contribute, in, total, to about a 45% reduction in the on-road fuel economy per driver—a magnitude well, worth emphasizing. Furthermore, increased efforts should also be directed at increasing, vehicle occupancy, which has dropped by 30% from 1960. That drop, by itself, increased the, energy intensity of driving per occupant by about 30%."

"This report characterizes the longitudinal profiles of five pavement sections within the Arizona Specific, Pavement Studies 6 project throughout their service life. This project was built and monitored as part of, the Long-Term Pavement Performance Study. Road profile measurements were collected on this site, about once per year since the fall after it was opened to traffic. This study analyzed the profiles in detail, by calculating their roughness values, examining the spatial distribution of roughness within them, viewing them with post-processing filters, and examining their spectral properties. These analyses, provided details about the roughness characteristics of the road and provided a basis for quantifying and, explaining the changes in roughness with time, relating post-rehabilitation roughness with rehabilitation, type, surface preparation, and profile properties, as well as linking profile properties to each section’s, maintenance history and observations of surface distress."

DTMC75-08-H-00005, This report provides documentation for UMTRI’s file of Buses Involved in Fatal Accidents (BIFA), 2008, including distributions of the code values for each variable in the file. The 2008 BIFA file is a census of all, buses involved in a fatal accident in the United States. The BIFA database provides coverage of buses, recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) file. BIFA combines vehicle, accident, and, occupant records from FARS with information about the physical configuration and operating authority of, the bus from the BIFA survey.

DTNH22-05-H-01232, The Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program is a five-year, two-phase cooperative, research program being conducted by an industry consortium led by the University of Michigan, Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). The goal of the program is to assess the safety benefits and, driver acceptance associated with a prototype integrated crash warning system designed to address rearend, roadway departure, and lane change/merge crashes for light vehicles and heavy commercial trucks., This report describes accomplishments and progress made during the third year of the program (June, 2008 to May 2009) and activities planned for the following year. Accomplishments detailed in this, report include making refinements to the integrated crash warning system, conduct of additional, verification testing and extended pilot tests, the analysis of data, and the construction of the fleet of 26, research vehicles.

This document presents the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s plan to perform, analysis of data collected from the heavy truck platform field operational test of the Integrated Vehicle, Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The purpose of the IVBSS program is to evaluate the, effectiveness of, and driver acceptance for, state-of-the-art integrated crash warning systems for both, passenger cars and commercial trucks. The heavy truck platform in the IVBSS FOT includes three, integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings), installed into a fleet of ten Class 8 tractors operated by Con-way Freight., Each truck is instrumented to capture detailed data regarding the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Twenty commercial truck drivers from Con-way Freight, are operating the Class 8 tractors for ten months in place of the trucks they normally drive. Data on driver, acceptance for the integrated system are being collected through a post-drive survey and debriefings., The plan describes analyses that emphasize a summary of integrated crash warning system activity, examine how the integrated system affects driver behavior, and assess driver acceptance for the integrated, system. The analyses are intended to be complementary to analyses being performed by the program’s, independent evaluator, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.

This report describes the findings and recommendations from the heavy-truck (HT) extended pilot test (EPT) conducted by University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and its partners under the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The EPT was conducted to provide evidence of system performance (alert rate and reliable operation) and driver acceptance prior to conduct of the field operational test (FOT). The results of this test were to be used to modify the HT system performance and functionality as required, prior to the start of the FOT. The EPT entailed use of an integrated crash warning system in a heavy truck by seven drivers, over a period of five days each, in the course of their regular duties as drivers for Con-way Freight at the Ann Arbor distribution center. The test lasted four weeks starting on November 10 and ending December 12, 2008; the resultant data represent 5,300 miles of system use. The extended pilot test of the heavy truck platform on the IVBSS program successfully evaluated system performance and driver acceptance. Driver recruitment and training procedures were tested, as were the driver survey and debriefing methodologies. The warning system and data acquisition hardware operated reliably through the EPT. However, the warning system had an alert rate that was higher than anticipated based on previous testing. Nonetheless, drivers were generally still accepting of the system. Valuable data obtained from the EPT have led to further system performance improvements in the detection of stopped and slower-moving objects by the FCW subsystem in order to reduce the alert rate, and these enhancements have been implemented into the heavy truck fleet for the full field operational test.

DTRT07-G-0058, The theme of the Michigan Center for Advancing Safe Transportation throughout the Lifespan (M-CASTL) is Safety, and Mobility throughout the Lifespan. The purpose of the annual synthesis report is to identify short and long-term, research needs that support the M-CASTL theme and reflect the US DOT’s national transportation research agenda., The intent of the reports is to help focus the Center’s research program and to maintain continuity over each year of, the grant. The synthesis report also serves as the background for the annual M-CASTL Transportation Research and, Education (TR&E) meeting. This report addresses the research needs for older adult mobility. The areas reviewed, are: populations trends; driving trends; traffic safety; mobility needs; medical conditions and medications; screening, and assessment; education and rehabilitation; vehicles and advanced technology; roadway design; Transitioning to, non-driving; and alternative transportation options. This synthesis reviews some of what is known about maintaining, older adult mobility and defines several areas where further research is needed. There are several themes that thread, through this synthesis report. First, mobility is needed by all people. If mobility needs are not met by driving, then, they must be met by other means. Second, older adults are not a homogeneous group. Older adults vary greatly in, the functional declines they may be experiencing; their ability to compensate for declines; their financial and social, resources; and their personalities. All of these characteristics interact with the factors influencing safe mobility., Third, older adults, as well as all drivers, need lifelong education to maintain safe mobility. For the older adult, learning about roadway design changes, how to use advanced technology, and the transportation options available, when driving is no longer possible is an important component in safe mobility. Fourth, research to help older adults, stay mobile will also help younger drivers. Finally, meeting the mobility needs of an aging population is complex, and will require the expertise and collaboration of several academic and applied disciplines. The M-CASTL will, continue to provide these collaborative opportunities.

The goal of this study was to use temperature measurements derived from infrared cameras to identify trucks with potential brake, tire, or hub defects. Data were collected at inspection sites on six different days and vehicles were subjected to CVSA inspections. Based on the inspections, axle ends were classified into three brake problem categories: yes, no, maybe. Subsequently, the data were analyzed in order to find associations between the temperature measurements and the brake problem classifications. Metrics were developed to identify outliers or large variation in temperatures within or between trucks. Many of the measures focus on differences between axles, left side and right side, and single outlying temperatures. The analysis is restricted to trucks with five axles., Various truck and environment variables were recorded. The maximum brake temperature was most closely associated with the brake problem variable. The coefficient of variation and standard deviation identified ten of the fourteen trucks classified with at least one brake problem correctly. In conjunction with other metrics, additional trucks with brake problems were also identified., Associations between trucks with single outlying temperatures on axle ends and brake problem classifications were not strong. However, it is possible that these outliers could be indicative of brake problems not captured by results produced from inspections.

A series of sled tests was conducted to examine the performance of booster seats under belt geometries representing the range found in the rear seats of current vehicles. Twelve tests were performed with the standard 6YO Hybrid III ATD and 29 tests were performed with a modified version of the 6YO ATD. The modified dummy has a pelvis with more realistic shape and flesh stiffness, a gel abdomen with biomechanically-based stiffness characteristics, and a custom neoprene jacket. Shoulder belt upper anchorage was set at the FMVSS No. 213 belt anchorage location and 64 mm inboard and outboard from this location. Lap belt anchorage locations were chosen to span the range of lap belt angles permitted under FMVSS 210, using the FMVSS No. 213 belt anchorage locations and forward belt anchorage locations that produce a much steeper lap belt angle. Four booster seats that provide a range of static belt fit were used. The ATDs were positioned using either the standard FMVSS No. 213 seating procedure or an alternate UMTRI procedure that produces postures closer to those of similar-size children., Kinematic results for the standard and modified dummies under the same test conditions were more similar than expected. The current version of the modified 6YO is less sensitive to lap belt geometry than the prototype version of the dummy. The seating procedure had a greater affect on kinematic results. The UMTRI seating procedure produced greater knee-head excursion differences and less forward torso rotation than the FMVSS No. 213 procedure., Shifting the shoulder belt upper anchorage 128 mm laterally produced minimal variations in kinematics for a given booster seat/lap belt condition, likely because the belt-routing features of the booster seats limited the differences in static shoulder belt score to less than 10 mm. Moving the lap belt geometry from rearward (shallow angle) to forward (steep angle) produced less desirable kinematics with all booster seats tested. The forward position of the lap belt anchorage allows greater forward translation of the booster and ATD before the belt engages the pelvis. Steeper belt angles are associated with better lap belt fit for children sitting without boosters, so designing rear seat belts for children who sit with and without boosters may involve a performance tradeoff.

DTMC75-06-H-00003, This document presents aggregate statistics on trucks involved in traffic accidents in 2007. The, statistics are derived from the Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA) file, compiled by the, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The TIFA database provides, coverage of all medium and heavy trucks recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, (FARS) file. TIFA combines vehicle, accident, and occupant records from FARS with, information about the physical configuration and operating authority of the truck from the TIFA, survey.

DTNH22-06-H-00055, "Despite the extensive evidence about the benefits of seat belt use, there is a great deal of variation in use within the US. For example, the national average for seat belt use in 2009 was 84 percent while the state-level averages ranged from 68 percent in Wyoming to 98 percent in Michigan. The overarching goal of this project was to gain a better understanding of the socio-demographic variables (or factors) that influence statewide belt use rates. To the extent that these vary among states, they can partially account for differences in statewide belt uses. Previous studies have already identified some important factors that affect belt use rates: gender, age, race, vehicle type, seat-belt enforcement laws, and amount of fine for belt-use law violation. This project studied the influence of additional socio-demographic factors on state-level use rates. These factors were: education (percentage of high school educated population), racial composition (percentage of White), median household income, political leaning (percentage of Democrats), and a measure of religiosity. The analysis was based on data from the 2008 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) which has information on seat belt use on all vehicle crashes that resulted in at least one fatality. The use rates in FARS data were lower than that for the general population. However, our interest is on differences in rates between the states. To the extent that the state-to-state differences in FARS data are consistent with those in the general population, the findings are likely to hold for the population-at-large. Exploratory analysis showed that many of the use rate patterns in FARS data were in fact consistent with those found in other data sets. Of the five socio-demographic factors that were considered, three were identified as important: religiosity, race (percentage White), and political leaning (percentage Democrat). The other two – income and education – were not significant. Hold-out analyses confirm

This document presents key findings from the heavy-truck field operational test conducted as, part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of, analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine, the effect of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver, acceptance. The heavy-truck platform included three integrated crash-warning subsystems, (forward crash, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed on a fleet of 10, Class 8 tractors and operated by18 commercial drivers for 10 months. Each truck was, instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning, system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a postdrive, survey and debriefings., The key findings indicate that integrated crash warning systems not only offer benefits relative to, improved driver performance (e.g., improved headway keeping), but that the majority of, commercial drivers accepted the system and reported subjective benefits from the integrated, system they used. Of the drivers who participated, 15 out of 18 stated that they preferred a truck, with the integrated system, stating that they would also recommend that their company consider, the purchase of vehicles with integrated safety systems installed. No negative behavioral, adaptation effects from the drivers’ 10-month use of the integrated system were observed.

DRDA DTRS57-02- R-2003, This report describes further analysis of data from the advanced collision avoidance system (ACAS) field operational test, a naturalistic driving study. To determine how distracted and nondistracted driving differ, a stratified sample of 2,914 video clips of the drivers’ faces and forward scene was coded to identify (1) where the driver was looking, (2) where their head was facing, (3) the secondary task performed, (4) what their hands were doing, and (5) the driving conditions. A sample of the clips from the first pass (balanced to equalize distracted and nondistracted clips) was examined frame by frame. Key findings include: 1. The most common secondary tasks were conversing, chewing gum, grooming, and using a cell phone, in that order. The most common subtasks were conversing on a cell phone, chewing gum, grooming with a hand, and biting one’s lips while chewing gum, in that order. 2. Depending on the analysis, 7 to 16% of all secondary tasks involved 2 or more secondary tasks occurring together, with 9 of the 10 most common combinations involving conversation or chewing gum. 3. Conversation tended to occur more frequently for older drivers and women, and on minor roads; and less often between midnight and 6:00 a.m., and when the outside temperature was below freezing. 4. Using the phone occurred more frequently for young drivers, for men, and in lighter traffic; and less often between midnight and 6:00 a.m.

This study examined the relationship between GDP and vehicle sales in 48 developed and, developing countries during the years 2005 through 2011. The countries examined were, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech, Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United, Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The annual vehicle sales in the, individual countries ranged from about 16 thousand to about 18.5 million. The annual GDP, values for the individual countries ranged from about 23 billion to about 11.7 trillion constant, 2000 US$., The main result is that the logarithm of GDP is a strong linear predictor of the logarithm of, vehicle sales. This relationship held both for the seven years combined and for each individual, year during these seven years—a period that included both general economic prosperity and, economic downturn., Using the obtained regression equations, average vehicle sales per GDP value were, calculated for the 48 countries for each of the eight time periods of interest. For the combined, years 2005 through 2011, this turned out to be 1,869 vehicles per 1 billion constant 2000 US$.

DTMC75¿06¿H¿00003, "This report provides documentation for UMTRI’s file of Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA), 2004, including distributions of the code values for each variable in the file. The 2004 TIFA file is, a census of all medium and heavy trucks involved in a fatal accident in the United States. The, TIFA database provides coverage of all medium and heavy trucks recorded in the Fatality, Analysis Reporting System (FARS) file. TIFA combines vehicle, accident, and occupant records, from FARS with information about the physical configuration and operating authority of the truck, from the TIFA survey."

DRDA 04-0266, This experiment examined how close to objects (such as a wall or another vehicle) people would drive when parking. The findings will to be used as a basis for visual and/or auditory warnings provided by parking assistance systems. A total of 16 people (8 ages 18-30, 8 over age 65) served as subjects. Data were collected both for the subjects sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2004 Infinity Q45 and standing outside the vehicle (as if directing someone else to park). Data were collected for the desired clearance distance between the test vehicle and a wall (for safety concerns, the wall was moved instead of the vehicle) in ascending and descending thresholds, for 8 cardinal clock positions. The overall mean distance was 20.4 in for the 640 data points collected, with a range of 2.5 to 48.5 in. As an example of the specific results, when the wall was moved towards the driver and the subject was an observer (outside the car), the desired distances were 17.0, 18.9, 19.1, 20.3, 17.4, 18.7, 14.7, and 15.8 in for 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 and 12:00 clock positions. Using the regression method, 1 of the 2 methods developed, desired distance in inches was equal to 9.5 + 1.6 (if the position was to the side or rear) + 6.7 (if a door was to be opened) + 5.7 (if the object was approaching the car) + 4.9 (if the driver’s clearance was estimated) + .07 times the driver’s age.

A leading cause of military vehicle rollover crashes is that one or more wheels move into an area where, the terrain falls away steeply or disappears, leading to vehicle rollover. Vehicle-mounted sensors will, soon be capable of sensing such hazards in real time. This report addresses the design of a driver, interface to provide information about such hazards in a timely and cogent manner in order to allow, attentive, distracted, or drowsy drivers enough time and information to avoid the hazard. An interface, that consists of an auditory warning and an optional supplementary overlay of the hazard on a driver’seye, view of the roadway is recommended. A set of equations are developed that indicate when the, driver must begin applying either a pre-determined level of braking or a pre-determined level of added, lateral acceleration to avoid a perceived hazard.

DTRT13-G-UTC54, The overarching goal of this project was to contribute to a reduction in crashes among older truck drivers. The project represents the starting point for developing a program that can be used by older truck drivers and trucking company management to keep older truck drivers on the road for as long as they can safely drive. The specific aims of this project were to: 1) conduct an analysis of truck crash data to identify risk factors that contribute to crashes among older truck drivers; 2) conduct a brief review of the literature to identify existing preventive strategies in the trucking industry; 3) conduct a series of group and individual structured interviews with older truck drivers and trucking company management; and 4) develop the conceptual framework for a needs assessment tool designed to improve the safety management of older drivers in the trucking industry. Results are discussed for each of the project aims. Collectively, results from the literature review, crash data analysis, and interviews with safety managers and drivers suggest that a tailored needs assessment tool could bring value to the trucking industry.

The use of fixtureless, non-contact coordinate measurement has become increasingly prevalent in manufacturing, problem solving. Manufacturers now routinely use measurement systems such as white light area scanners, photogrammetry, laser trackers, and portable laser scanners to conduct studies that require measuring upstream supplier parts, tooling, or inprocess, subassemblies. For part measurements in these studies, certified fixtures with alignment features such as tooling balls, often are not available. Instead, manufacturers rely on ad hoc part-holding fixtures or measure parts without fixtures and, perform alignments mathematically. Here, advancements in software are providing operators with numerous alignment options, and users are actively using this functionality. Naturally, these additional capabilities have led to inconsistencies in the, alignment method used across measurement studies, often affecting dimensional results., This paper reviews several common alignment or registration methods and provides a metric to assess systematic, alignment error. To demonstrate alignment effects, we present a measurement system study of a moderately complex part, requiring an over-constrained datum scheme. We first measure the part using a conventional fixture-based method to establish a, baseline for static and dynamic repeatability. We then compare these with results from two mathematically-based iterative, alignment methods based on fixtureless measurement. Next, we assess the systematic alignment error between the different, fixture/alignment alternatives. We show that for the same basic datum scheme provided on engineering drawings, the systematic, alignment error is a far more significant issue for problem solving than the repeatability error or equipment accuracy.

The changes taking place in the global automotive industry related to alternative, powertrains and fuels are affecting each country or region differently. Each country or, region has its own policies in place to monitor and manage vehicle fuel consumption and, emissions. Countries or regions also have different numbers of new vehicles sold annually, and the total numbers of vehicles in their fleets. This analysis looks at the current and, future direction of alternative powertrains/fuels across four developed economies (United, States, Western Europe, Japan, and South Korea) and four developing economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) in order to measure the impact of increasing the number of, alternative powertrains/fuels in their fleets. In particular, the analysis looks at the how, much of each country’s fleet will turn over to vehicles based only on alternative, powertrains/fuels by 2050 by introducing three different alternative powertrain/fuel models, (less aggressive, moderately aggressive, and very aggressive). A less aggressive approach, will yield fleet turnover rates of 60 percent or more for most countries, a moderately, aggressive approach will yield fleet turnover rates of over 80 percent for most countries, and a very aggressive approach will yield fleet turnover rates of nearly 90 percent or more, for most countries.

This report provides documentation for UMTRI’s file of Buses Involved in Fatal Accidents (BIFA), 2007, including distributions of the code values for each variable in the file. The 2007 BIFA file is a census of all, buses involved in a fatal accident in the United States. The BIFA database provides coverage of buses, recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) file. BIFA combines vehicle, accident, and, occupant records from FARS with information about the physical configuration and operating authority of, the bus from the BIFA survey.

"The local news media commonly report motor vehicle crashes (MVC). Police have been, identified as prominent spokespeople during these news stories and when interviewed, convey, more prevention information to the public. Despite this, little is known about the interaction, between police and the news media, the police officers perception of their role in MVC, prevention or police officers previous media training., To address these issues, this project conducted a content analysis of local newspaper MVC, reporting along with in-depth interviews with police information officers in a midwestern city of, 100,000 population and used this information to develop a web-based MVC media training tool., Police information officers regularly interact with the news media, report very little, if any, formal media training, view MVC prevention as a significant part of their job description, and, believe that a web-based MVC media training tool is useful to them and their colleagues., Training police officers how to insert prevention messages into “everyday” news stories about, MVC may be a cost effective way of reaching the public with important information about seat, belt use and motor vehicle safety. A web-based training tool may be helpful to optimize this, opportunity provide by the news media."

Thirty-six drivers entered and retrieved destinations using an Ali-Scout navigation computer. Retrieval involved keying in part of the destination name, scrolling through a list of names, or a combination of those methods. Entry required keying in the destination’s name, the longitude, and the latitude. For young subjects, mean interkeystroke intervals were 1.7 s for initial cursor keystrokes, 1.5 s for initial enter, letters, and shift keystrokes, 1.2 s for numbers, and 0.6 s for space (different from the “standard” value in keystroke-level models of 1.2 s for a “worst” typist). Second keystrokes were about 1 s for letters, 0.7 s for cursor actions, and 0.5 s for numbers, similar to the standard time for complex codes (0.75 s/keystroke). For more than 2 cursor keystrokes, times were about 0.5 s. Age differences were large, with middle-aged drivers taking 40 percent longer and older drivers 120 longer than young drivers. Mental (thinking) times averaged 2.2 s, much greater the standard time (1.35 s). Equations were developed linking keystroke-level predictions to the actual times. Linear equations based on pure keystroke-level models accounted from 41 (all subjects) to 78 percent (young subjects only) of the variance of retrieval times and 12 to 39 percent of entry times. For tailored keystroke-level models (with experimentally based values for keystroke times, and adjustments for age and lighting) the variance accounted for was 58 and 83 percent (all subjects and young subjects, respectively) for retrieval, and 47 and 49 percent for entry. Use of linear equations and tailored models significantly reduced the size of prediction errors, making the predictions useful for engineering evaluations of alternative interfaces.

This study examined gender effects in six geometric scenarios of two-vehicle crashes in, which an involved driver could potentially ascertain the gender of the other driver prior to the, crash. The actual frequencies of different combinations of the involved male and female, drivers in these crash scenarios were compared to the expected frequencies if there were no, gender interactions. The expected frequencies were based on annual distance driven for, personal travel by male and female drivers., The results indicate that in certain crash scenarios, male-to-male crashes tend to be underrepresented, and female-to-female crashes tend to be over-represented. This pattern of results, could be due to either differential gender exposure to the different scenarios, differential gender, capabilities to handle specific scenarios, or differential expectations of actions by other drivers, based on their gender. The current lack of information on gender exposure in different, scenarios, scenario-specific driver skills, and driver expectations based on other drivers’ gender, prevents ruling out any of these possible explanations.