| Title | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Advanced System Testing Utilizing a Data Acquisition System on the Highways (FAST DASH): Safety Technology Evaluation Project #1 Blindspot Warning: Final Report |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 51416 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Schaudt, William A; Bowman, Darrell S; Olson, Rebecca L; Marinik, Andrew; Soccolich, Susan; Joslin, Spencer; Toole, Laura; Rice, J C; Darrell, Richard J. |
| Corporate Creator | Virginia Tech Transportation Institute; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Office of Analysis, Research, and Technology |
| Publisher | United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration |
| Publication Date | 20140100 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | The purpose of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) Advanced System Testing utilizing a Data Acquisition System on the Highways (FAST DASH) program is to conduct an efficient and independent evaluation of promising safety technologies aimed at improving commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operations. The CMV safety technology evaluated in this study was a blind spot object detection and warning system (BSW), which uses an array of infrared laser beams to create three-dimensional (3D) detection zones on either side of a CMV. The system alerts the driver of objects in the blind spots via activation of amber light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on the side-view mirrors. This particular technology type was selected because it can address the leading heavy truck pre-crash scenario that an independent analysis by Volpe National Transportation Systems Center identified (“Changing lanes/Same direction”), and there is limited documentation of BSW system effectiveness for CMVs in industry literature. Results from the controlled tests and the field study indicate that the subject BSW system provides good coverage and helps to identify objects in the blind spot zones of CMVs. These blind spot zones pose a particular challenge to CMV drivers, especially on the passenger-side of the vehicle. System testing in controlled experiments on a test track showed that the system performed well at correctly detecting vehicles inside the detection zones and correctly ignoring vehicles outside the detection zones. During the field study, participating drivers indicated an overall user acceptance for the system. A safety benefit analysis was performed, using safety-critical events (SCEs) as a measure of risk, and results indicate practically significant improvements with a strong positive statistical trend for safety benefits. |
| Rosap ID | dot:158 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/158 |
| ResearchHub ID | 6460 |
| TRT Terms | Commercial vehicles; Technology assessment; Blind spots; Crash avoidance systems; Field studies; Field tests; Warning devices; Highways; Human factors; Vehicles and equipment |
| General Subjects | Research Hub |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
1516440 |
| Report Number | FMCSA-RRT-13-008 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/51000/51400/51416/FAST-DASH-Concurrence-Package.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |