Integrated Vehicle Based Safety Systems Initiative

Slide 1. Integrated Vehicle Based Safety Systems Initiative

ITS JPO Lead: Steve Sill, FHWA
Technical Lead: Jack Ference, NHTSA

Slide 2. Challenge

• Over 3.6 million rear-end, run-off-the-road, and lane-change crashes occur every year
• Of these, about 27,500 crashes result in one or more fatalities

Slide 3. Opportunity

• Rear-end, run-off-the-road, and lane-change crash countermeasure systems could prevent over 48% targeted crashes or 1,836,000 crashes annually
• Integration of existing collision avoidance systems could result in systems with significantly improved effectiveness

Slide 4. Goals

• Overall Goal: To accelerate introduction of integrated vehicle-based safety systems into the Nation's vehicle fleet
• Objectives:
  • Establish a partnership between the U.S. DOT and the automotive, commercial vehicle, and transit vehicle industries involving a wide range of stakeholders
  • Facilitate introduction and commercialization of effective integrated systems in these markets
  • Support the U.S. DOT role in advancing safety product deployment

Slide 5. Milestone/End Product

• All new vehicles will be equipped with integrated safety systems that help them effectively avoid the most common types of deadly crashes
  • Fewer, less severe crashes
  • Fewer injuries and fatalities
  • Reduced impacts of crashes on transportation systems

Slide 6. Roadmap

Image Details

Slide 7. Program Plan/Approach

• The Initiative consists of five tasks:
  • Task 1: Preparatory Analyses
  • Task 2: System Design
  • Task 3: Build Prototype Vehicles
  • Task 4: Conduct Field Operational Test (FOT)
  • Task 5: Perform Evaluation
• Duration of Initiative
  • FY04–FY09

Slide 8. Task 1: Preparatory Analyses

• Goal: To shape the activities and tasks of this initiative
• Actions:
  • Solicit stakeholder and industry input
  • Develop functional and evaluation requirements
  • Conduct technical reviews of current systems
  • Investigate preliminary driver-vehicle interface (DVI) concepts
  • Assess business case and deployment potential
  • Prepare program execution strategy

Slide 9. Task 2: System Design

• Goal: To develop operational concepts, performance specifications, and test procedures for the integrated system
  • Actions:
    • Develop performance specifications
    • Design, build and test sensor subsystems
    • Design, build and test threat assessment algorithms
    • Design, build and test driver-vehicle interface (DVI)
    • Develop objective test procedures

Slide 10. Task 3: Build Prototype Vehicles

• Goal: Create prototype integrated safety systems and vehicles to be used to test system effectiveness
  • Actions:
    • Design and build data acquisition systems
    • Integrate subsystems and build prototype vehicles
    • Conduct objective test procedures
    • Validate performance of prototype vehicles
    • Finalize design and build vehicles to be used in field operational test (FOT)

Slide 11. Task 4: Conduct Field Operational Test (FOT)

• Goal: Conduct tests of prototype vehicles and integrated safety systems using simulators, test tracks and naturalistic driving methodologies
  • Actions:
    • Devise FOT concepts
    • Recruit test subjects
    • Build vehicle fleet
    • Conduct pilot test
    • Conduct FOT

Slide 12. Task 5: Perform Evaluation

• Goal: Evaluate the effectiveness of program activities and the FOT process
  • Actions:
    • Devise evaluation strategy
    • Develop evaluation plan
    • Develop analysis methods
    • Build database and tools
    • Analyze data and create report

Note that evaluation will take place concurrently with the overall Program

Slide 13. Summary

• Significant safety benefits accrue when integrated systems are utilized
• Working closely with automotive, heavy truck, and transit bus industries to create the optimum system for each vehicle type
• Leveraging past investments and research in the intelligent vehicle arena to advance work in integrating systems
• Building a better, more versatile, system at a lower cost, quicker availability, and with increased consumer acceptance