Examining the Impact of Vehicle Automation Levels on Road Safety in Rural Areas

Motor vehicle crashes are a prominent and distressing cause of fatalities in the United States and globally. Addressing this issue, the integration of partially automated vehicle technologies, notably Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), emerges as a promising avenue for enhancing safety on highways. These systems become even more critical to older adult drivers, who face increased risks of fatality and crashes due to age-related declines in physical, health, and cognitive abilities. ADAS has the potential to decrease the sensory cognitive load of the driving task, and many automated safety features can decrease crash severity. The ADAS vary widely in complexity and scope which can mainly be classified into three major groups: collision warning, collision intervention, and driving control assistance. Examples of collision warning technologies that are common in vehicles include forward collision, lane departure, and blind spot warnings. For collision intervention, automated emergency braking, blind spot intervention, and rear automatic braking are examples of available technologies. On the other hand, driving control assistance includes adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping or centering assistance. Several researchers have investigated these in-vehicle technologies to learn older drivers’ perceptions of safety and interaction with the ADAS. However, little is known about the role of these technologies and their impact on crash injuries. It will be beneficial to the community to understand the role of ADAS technologies in the safe mobility of drivers in rural areas.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $Federal: $100,000 Matching: $50,518
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348321

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Florida A&M University, Tallahassee

  404 Foote/Hilyer
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32307
• Project Managers:

  Moses, Ren

• Performing Organizations:

  Cleveland State University

  Euclid Avenue at 24th Street
  Cleveland, Oh  United States  44115
• Principal Investigators:

  Kidando, Emmanuel

  Owusu-Danquah, J

• Start Date: 20230601
• Expected Completion Date: 20241231
• Actual Completion Date: 20250131
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Driver support systems; Driving automation levels; Highway safety; Rural areas
• Geographic Terms: Ohio
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01896751
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Rural Safe, Efficient, and Advanced Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348321
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 19 2023 4:56PM