Connected Vehicle Data for Statewide Seat Belt Use Estimation: Proof of Concept

This project aims to explore the use of Connected Vehicle (CV) data to estimate statewide seat belt use, replacing the current manual observation method mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). CV data contains records of seat belt activity that may be leveraged to estimate statewide seatbelt usage. Third-party data providers like Wejo and Geotab collect and anonymize CV data so that it can be used by transportation agencies, researchers, and others. Currently, states must conduct extensive manual seat belt use surveys, which are time-consuming and subject to human error. By leveraging anonymized CV event data, this research will provide a proof of concept for a more efficient, accurate, and scalable method to gather seat belt usage data. CV data offers the potential to collect seat belt engagement data continuously, providing richer insights without the need for costly manual observations. Data from vehicles like those using OnStar services can track seat belt latch events, which can be analyzed for patterns in seat belt use across various times, road types, and regions. A recent report by the USDOT Office of Highway Policy, Travel Monitoring Surveys division titled “Post event Connected Vehicle Data Exploration- Lessons Learned” (2024), used CV data from Wejo and the USDOT Joint Program Office CV pilot project to investigate the feasibility of several applications including seat belt use monitoring. The CV data used in the USDOT report contained instantaneous records with timestamps of seat belt engagement as latched or unlatched. The report connected latched/unlatched events to associated trips to examine latched/unlatched behavior in the context of speed, distance, and travel time (time spent under respective latched/unlatched status). The proposed work expands on the USDOT study in two ways. First, the USDOT study did not evaluate the correlation between seat belt usage statistics generated from CV data and those of observed data such as that collected by states for NHTSA mandated studies. Second, the USDOT study did not investigate the belt latch chain of events, e.g., belt latch before/after vehicle engaged, etc. This is critical knowledge needed for the potential use of CV event data for seat belt use monitoring. For the proposed work, the research team will use survey and technology-based approaches to determine latch event chains. By quantifying seat belt latch chain of event, the team will be able to determine the degree to which CV event data for seat belt events can replace or supplement traditional means of seat belt use data collection. The project is divided into four main tasks. Task 1: Driver and Passenger Survey: A survey will collect data on the timing of seat belt engagement relative to engine startup, as this affects whether CVs can record seat belt use events in a statistically representative way. Task 2: Technology Review: Alternate technologies, such as Event Data Recorders (EDRs) and hospital records, will be examined for their feasibility in capturing seat belt use data. Task 3: Data Collection and Analysis: Statistical models will be developed to correlate manual seat belt observations with CV data, assessing the representativeness of CV data; Task 4: Cost Feasibility Study: A comparative analysis of the costs associated with manual seat belt surveys versus CV data collection will be performed to evaluate the economic feasibility of implementing CV-based seat belt use monitoring.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.sptc.org/cy2-uark-01

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $133,899.00
• Contract Numbers:

  CY2-UARK-01

  69A3552348306

• 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:

  Southern Plains Transportation Center

  University of Oklahoma
  202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
  Norman, OK  United States  73019
• Project Managers:

  Dunn, Denise

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

  4190 Bell Engineering
  Civil Engineering
  Fayetteville, Arkansas  United States  72701
• Principal Investigators:

  Hernandez, Sarah

• Start Date: 20241001
• Expected Completion Date: 20250930
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Connected vehicles; Data collection; Feasibility analysis; Seat belt use; Statistical analysis; Surveys
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01941685
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: CY2-UARK-01, 69A3552348306
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 1 2025 4:28PM