Collision Warning Systems

Transcription

1 Collision Warning Systems Amy Houser Engineer, Technology Division Wednesday, July 25, :00 1:30 P.M. EDT Office of Research and Analysis Rear End Crashes In 18 percent of all rear-end crashes where the truck was the striking vehicle, there were three or more vehicles involved in the crash. Almost 46 percent of fatal rear-end truck-striking crashes involved three or more vehicles Source: Craft, Ralph. FMCSA Paper: Rear-End Large Truck Crashes 2 1

2 Rear End Crash: Case Rear End Crash: Case

3 Rear End Crash: Case Rear End Crash: Case Critical Pre-crash Event: another vehicle in lane of travel, traveling in the same direction at a lower steady speed Critical Reason: a recognition error inattention 6 3

4 Volvo Field Operational Test US Xpress, Inc. Nationwide general freight carrier Truck fleet of ~6,000 power units that average 110,000 miles per year 100 tractor trailers in the field operational test 7 Volvo Field Operational Test 8 4

5 Volvo Field Operational Test Collision warning system could reduce 21% of rear end collisions Helped drivers maintain longer following distances between their vehicle and a vehicle in front of them Warned the driver in advance to detect a dangerous situation and brake earlier to enhance crash prevention Proved most effective at reducing rear end conflicts when the truck is traveling at higher speeds (>55 mph) 9 Thank you for your attention! Contact Information: Amy Houser Amy.Houser@dot.gov (202) Office of Research and Analysis 5

6 The Role of Collision Warning Systems in Truck Safety: Boyle Transportation s s Experience Andrew Boyle Executive Vice President Boyle Transportation Specialize in HazMat & Security-Sensitive Sensitive Cargo Tractors Staffed by Professional Driver Teams Teams Average 180k to 210k Miles/Year Long Haul Truckload Carrier Invest $10-15k 15k per Truck in Safety Technology 12 6

7 Safety Technologies We Employ Automated Transmissions Eaton VORAD with Side Sensor and SmartCruise Roll Stability Advisor & Control Sidetracker Camera Lane Departure Warning Our Approach to Safety Technology Mitigate the risk of a catastrophic accident Provide professional drivers the tools to do their jobs as safely as possible Back of the envelope cost analysis Weigh investment vs. potential accident costs Apply probability of serious accidents Sell our safety technology commitment to customers, insurers, creditors and employees 14 7

8 Our CWS Experience Initial deployment in % of fleet now equipped with CWS, SmartCruise and Side Sensor All factory-installed and integrated into Freightliner s Smart Dash Approximately 40 million miles of experience We collect data only in the event of a crash Currently use as an onboard tool, not for driver performance management 15 Professional Driver Survey* CWS Agree/Strongly Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree SmartCruise Agree/Strongly Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree Side Sensor Agree/Strongly Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree Is a Valuable Tool 75% 18% 82% 12% 77% 14% Can Prevent Accidents 81% 19% 72% 14% 84% 13% Helps Make Me a Safer Driver 53% 25% 50% 25% 58% 25% *70 Respondents 16 8

9 Maintenance Issues Frequent communication gaps cause headway failures to shut system down on a Freightliner Eaton field support is excellent, but very few dealers stock parts or service VORAD No rebuild option for damaged parts Newer antennae are recessed into front Freightliner bumper; Side Sensor protrudes 17 Issues to Consider Recommend OEM installation to avoid warranty problems and supplier finger pointing VORAD without SmartCruise is not as effective; catastrophic accidents often occur while in cruise control Accident reconstruction is a lengthy process Next generation product may not be compliant with some EPA 07 engines 18 9

10 Collision Warning System Phil Jennings More About SAIA 151 Company terminals Less-than-truckload scheduled carrier 3,600 Tractors 940 with collision warning system 4,500 Drivers Significant percentage of drivers with less than one year of employment Twice the accident rate for local drivers Increased rear-end accidents for line drivers Operational change to twin trailers Increased accidents caused by inadequate following distance 10

11 Why Are We Using CWS? Help keep a safe following distance of no less than 4 seconds Average less than 4 seconds during base period Rear-end accidents are our highest cost accident Training tool for on-board driver trainers Measure following distance, speed, and hard braking events Alert drivers to vehicles moving 20% slower than their vehicle Alert drivers to parked vehicle or other objects in their path Alert drivers to vehicles in their right side blind area Alert drowsy or distracted drivers when their tractor veers toward an object such as a bridge, concrete barrier, trees, or another vehicle How Does Our CWS Work? Eaton-Vorad manufactured by Eaton Corporation, Galesburg, MI Forward and right side vehicle and object detection radar and driver alert Forward pulse and Doppler radar of vehicles and objects up to 500 feet ahead Tracks up to 20 vehicles or objects at a time Blind side radar alerts driver of vehicles and objects in right side blind area 11

12 Dash Mount In SAIA Unit In-Cab Display For Blind Spot Unit 12

13 Front-Mounted Radar Unit Side-Mounted Radar Unit 13

14 In-Cab Driver Control Controls, Displays, and Audible Tones Volume control may be used to increase or decrease sound volume Volume control push on-off disabled Range control disabled Yellow, Orange and Red LED lights indicate approaching objects Audible tones indicate approaching vehicles Forward-Looking System Driver Display Unit Alerts Object detected within Second Following: Target within 3 seconds following distance; target opening/closing = no tones 2 Second Following: Target within 2 seconds following distance; target opening = no tone, target closing = tone 1 Second Following: Target within 1 second following distance; target opening = no tone, target closing = tone 1/2 Second Following: Continuous tone closing or opening 14

15 Stationary Object Alert STATIONARY OBJECT Within 220 feet or max range whichever is smaller and within 3 seconds, tones: RL Neff EVT Rev. # 01.0 Date: 9/21/99 Slow Moving Object Alert SLOW MOVING VEHICLE Target is moving less than 20% of host vehicle speed Within 220 feet or max range whichever is smaller and within 3 seconds, tones: 15

16 Stopped Or Very Slow Movement Alert PROXIMITY (CREEP) ALERT Less than 2 MPH and object within 15 feet, tones: RL Neff EVT Rev. # 01.0 Date: 9/21/99 Side Sensor Detection Coverage 2-10 Detection zone (red) Zone tracked, but not indicated on display (blue) 15 Degree Beam 16

17 SmartCruise Alerts driver with one short tone and yellow display light when an object such as another vehicle is less than 4 seconds ahead, unless the vehicle is moving away Smartcruise disengages cruise control at 3 seconds; reduces fuel at 2 seconds Reporting CWS system records up to thirty days of data Driving time Following distance Speed Hard braking events Engine idle time Access data every twenty-one days at tractor service or inspection Access data as needed Save individual data files in master database Data available by fleet, tractor, driver, date, time, and user defined groups 17

18 Reporting Reports, printed or displayed Standard Exception User-defined Implementation Driver training Classroom In vehicle Smith System training Continuous follow-up, including on-board evaluation and training Obstacles Driver complaints Perceived reporting errors Data collection Overwhelming information Risk management concern 18

19 Results Following distance increased 25%, to more than 4 seconds Rear-end and related accidents reduced 20% Engine idle time reduced 50% At-risk drivers identified Hard braking Near Miss incidents reduced 35% Driver speeding and other citations reduced Driver safety-related turnover reduced after ninety days 19