scholarly journals Autonomous Vehicles and Vulnerable Road-Users—Important Considerations and Requirements Based on Crash Data from Two Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Andrew Paul Morris ◽  
Narelle Haworth ◽  
Ashleigh Filtness ◽  
Daryl-Palma Asongu Nguatem ◽  
Laurie Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Road User ◽  
Red Light Running ◽  
Crash Data ◽  
Passenger Vehicles ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users ◽  
Road Intersections

(1) Background: Passenger vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) functionalities are becoming more prevalent within vehicle fleets. However, the full effects of offering such systems, which may allow for drivers to become less than 100% engaged with the task of driving, may have detrimental impacts on other road-users, particularly vulnerable road-users, for a variety of reasons. (2) Crash data were analysed in two countries (Great Britain and Australia) to examine some challenging traffic scenarios that are prevalent in both countries and represent scenarios in which future connected and autonomous vehicles may be challenged in terms of safe manoeuvring. (3) Road intersections are currently very common locations for vulnerable road-user accidents; traffic flows and road-user behaviours at intersections can be unpredictable, with many vehicles behaving inconsistently (e.g., red-light running and failure to stop or give way), and many vulnerable road-users taking unforeseen risks. (4) Conclusions: The challenges of unpredictable vulnerable road-user behaviour at intersections (including road-users violating traffic or safe-crossing signals, or taking other risks) combined with the lack of knowledge of CAV responses to intersection rules, could be problematic. This could be further compounded by changes to nonverbal communication that currently exist between road-users, which could become more challenging once CAVs become more widespread.

scholarly journals Method to Assess and Enhance Vulnerable Road User Safety during Impact Loading

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariusz Ptak
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Head Injuries ◽  
Road User ◽  
Road Accidents ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Interesting Insight ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
History Of ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

Every year approximately 1.35 million people die as a consequence of road accidents. Almost 50% of road fatalities are vulnerable road users (VRUs). This research reviews the history of traffic safety for VRUs, presents an interesting insight into the statistics and evaluates the current legislation in Europe for pedestrians, cyclists, children on bicycle-mounted seats and motorcyclists in terms of impact situations and applied criteria. This enabled the author to have a better perspective on how the VRUs’ safety is currently verified. Furthermore, the VRU safety requirements are contrasted with the author’s research, which is mainly focused on VRU’s head biomechanics and kinematics. Finally, a new coherent method is presented, which encompasses the sub-groups of VRUs and proposes some improvements to both the regulations as well as technical countermeasures to mitigate the injuries during an impact. This study highlights the importance of numerical methods, which can serve as a powerful tool to study VRUs’ head injuries and kinematics.

scholarly journals Vehicle-to-Pedestrian Communication for Vulnerable Road Users: Survey, Design Considerations, and Challenges

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parag Sewalkar ◽  
Jochen Seitz
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Road User ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

In the last few years, increasing attention has been provided to research Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication systems. These V2P systems serve different purposes (safety or convenience) and cater to different Vulnerable Road User (VRU) groups. Also, these V2P systems employ different communication technologies, and use different mechanisms to interact with the users. An effective V2P system also needs to consider varying characteristics of different VRUs. These various elements may be considered as design parameters of the V2P system. In this paper, we discuss such elements and propose a design framework for the V2P system based on them. We also provide an extensive survey of existing V2P efforts for safety and convenience applications and their design considerations. We perform a case study that compares the different approaches of V2P safety system for different VRU groups under different pre-crash scenarios. Finally, we discuss a few technological challenges in integration of VRUs into V2X systems.

scholarly journals Cooperative Multi-Sensor Tracking of Vulnerable Road Users in the Presence of Missing Detections

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4817
Author(s):  
Martin Dimitrievski ◽  
David Van Hamme ◽  
Peter Veelaert ◽  
Wilfried Philips
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Integration ◽  
Tracking Performance ◽  
Road User ◽  
Fusion Algorithm ◽  
Multiple Control ◽  
Sensor Model ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Noise Characteristics ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

This paper presents a vulnerable road user (VRU) tracking algorithm capable of handling noisy and missing detections from heterogeneous sensors. We propose a cooperative fusion algorithm for matching and reinforcing of radar and camera detections using their proximity and positional uncertainty. The belief in the existence and position of objects is then maximized by temporal integration of fused detections by a multi-object tracker. By switching between observation models, the tracker adapts to the detection noise characteristics making it robust to individual sensor failures. The main novelty of this paper is an improved imputation sampling function for updating the state when detections are missing. The proposed function uses a likelihood without association that is conditioned on the sensor information instead of the sensor model. The benefits of the proposed solution are two-fold: firstly, particle updates become computationally tractable and secondly, the problem of imputing samples from a state which is predicted without an associated detection is bypassed. Experimental evaluation shows a significant improvement in both detection and tracking performance over multiple control algorithms. In low light situations, the cooperative fusion outperforms intermediate fusion by as much as 30%, while increases in tracking performance are most significant in complex traffic scenes.

scholarly journals Integrating Communication with Conspicuity to Enhance Vulnerable Road User Safety: ArroWhere Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2761
Author(s):  
Takuro Shoji ◽  
Gordon Lovegrove
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Road User ◽  
Communication Aids ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users ◽  
Control Devices

This paper presents findings from a research study into the role that communication plays in the safety of vulnerable road users (VRUs), including a literature review, a hypothesis, and a case study testing our hypothesis. Many governments and road authorities lack capital or have not made it a priority to implement full VRU safety measures, with many gaps in VRU infrastructure and networks. These gaps leave VRUs to take safety into their own hands, including use of conspicuity aids such as high-visibility wear, helmets, bells, and lights with differing levels of effectiveness. The knowledge gap regarding the conventional wisdom, “be safe, be seen,” is the absence of communication and comprehension between road users (VRUs and vehicles). We hypothesize that communication aids are equally, if not more important than visibility aids for VRU safety. A case study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of several Hi-Viz safety vest designs including online surveys and separate in-field experiments using Instrumented Probe Bicycles. The results suggest that Hi-Viz safety vests using arrow designs (ArroWhere’s proprietary products and designs) similar to those found in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) can increase VRU safety until road authorities can fully fund and complete proper and sustainable VRU networks.

Applying the Twilight Envelope to the Forensic Analysis of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Conspicuity in the Dark

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 479-483
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Whetsel Borzendowski ◽  
Alan O. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Road User ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Traffic Crash ◽  
Selective Degradation ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
Artificial Illumination ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

The large majority of traffic crashes involving vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and bicyclists occur when ambient illumination levels are reduced. The difficulty drivers face in recognizing the presence of these road users in the darkness can be attributed to the selective degradation of foveal visual functions, which support a driver’s ability to detect and identify the presence of potential hazards and other objects in the environment. Clothing worn by pedestrians and bicyclists can contribute to their conspicuity to oncoming drivers; extensive research has demonstrated that dark-clothing-clad pedestrians are often recognized at dangerously short distances. Vehicle headlamps serve to illuminate the path ahead for drivers, particularly in the absence of artificial illumination along the roadway, in order to improve driver visibility in the dark. The twilight envelope is a means of determining the visibility distance afforded by headlamps. This approach to describing illumination was applied to the analysis of a traffic crash involving a vulnerable road user, providing insight into the driver’s visibility. Future research should address the relationship between the twilight envelope of vehicle headlamps and the distance at which drivers are able to recognize potential hazards such as pedestrians and bicyclists using those headlamps.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Vulnerable Road Users Overtaking Maneuver along the Urban Road

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6361
Author(s):  
Manh Dung Vu ◽  
Hirofumi Aoki ◽  
Tatsuya Suzuki ◽  
Sueharu Nagiri ◽  
Quy Hung Nguyen Van ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Road User ◽  
Initial Speed ◽  
Automotive Safety ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
Lane Width ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

This paper discusses driving styles while overtaking a vulnerable road user who moves along the shoulder in urban roads. Based on the data obtained from an experiment in pre-defined conditions (combinations of four main effects: vehicle’s initial speed, lane width of the road, vulnerable road users’ type, and location in the shoulder) with an immersive driving simulator, we analyzed four different driving styles of drivers while approaching and passing the objects. It is shown that drivers took avoidance maneuvers even if there was no clear risk of collision to vulnerable road users. The results showed that the drivers tended to have a unique perception about the lateral passing gap and overtaking strategy with two worth notice groups: overcaution drivers and reckless drivers. The road characteristic has a statistically significant effect for all types of drivers. Moreover, the effect of the vehicle’s initial speed on overtaking strategy and the effect of vulnerable road user location on minimum lateral passing gap are statistically significant. The findings provide some implications for the development of automotive safety systems that can reduce the risk of overtaking maneuvers in urban areas.

Investigation of Safety-in-Numbers for Pedestrians and Bicyclists at a Macroscopic Level with Various Exposure Variables

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (12) ◽  
pp. 568-580
Author(s):  
Jaeyoung Lee ◽  
Mohamed Abdel-Aty ◽  
Qing Cai
Keyword(s):  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Road User ◽  
Metropolitan Statistical Area ◽  
Macroscopic Level ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road User ◽  
Safety In Numbers ◽  
Household Travel ◽  
National Household Travel Survey

Safety-in-numbers is a phenomenon whereby the crash risks of road users decrease when their numbers increase. Although several previous studies have confirmed safety-in-numbers at a microscopic level (e.g., intersection), few studies have investigated safety-in-numbers at a macroscopic level (or zonal level). In this study, safety-in-numbers is investigated at a larger scale unit, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which is usually composed of multiple counties in the U.S.A. Various pedestrian and bicyclist exposure data were obtained from the U.S. National Household Travel Survey (i.e., trips, miles, and hours). A series of Bayesian Poisson lognormal models confirm safety-in-numbers with the different exposure variables at a large-scale geographic level (i.e., MSA). The findings imply that regional travel behavior and cultures of respect for vulnerable road users play a key role in determining the level of pedestrian and bicyclist safety. In addition, the results reveal other factors important to vulnerable road user involved crashes, including but not limited to the climate, demographic, socioeconomic, and travel characteristics of the study regions.

scholarly journals Improving E-Bike Safety on Urban Highways in China

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linjun Lu ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Tao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Drunk Driving ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Red Light Running ◽  
Crash Data ◽  
Driving Behaviors ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
Safety Countermeasures

This paper aims to examine characteristics of e-bike fatal crashes on urban highways in China. Crash data were retrieved from the three-year crash reports (2010–2012) of Taixing City. Descriptive analysis was conducted to examine characteristics of e-bike riders, drivers, and crashes. The important findings include the following: (1) most fatal crashes were related to e-bike riders’ aberrant driving behaviors, including driving in motorized lanes, red-light running, driving against the direction of traffic, inattentive driving, and drunk driving; (2) e-bike riders with lower educational background tended to perform illegal or inattentive driving behaviors in fatal crashes; (3) most drivers were not found to commit any faults and very few drivers were found to commit drunk driving offences; (4) most nighttime fatal crashes were related to absence of street lightings; (5) heavy good vehicles (HGVs) and small passenger cars were the two vehicle types that were mostly involved in the e-bike fatal crashes. This study provides useful information that can help traffic engineers better understand e-bike safety in China and develop safety countermeasures.

scholarly journals Contested Spaces, Shared Concerns

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-191
Author(s):  
Sarah Stutts ◽  
Kenneth Saintonge ◽  
Nicholas Jordan ◽  
Christina Wasson
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Road User ◽  
North Texas ◽  
University Of North Texas ◽  
Contested Spaces ◽  
The Road ◽  
Driving Behaviors ◽  
Road Users ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The University

Roadways are sociocultural spaces constructed for human travel which embody intersections of technology, transportation, and culture. In order to navigate these spaces successfully, autonomous vehicles must be able to respond to the needs and practices of those who use the road. We conducted research on how cyclists, solid waste truck drivers, and crossing guards experience the driving behaviors of other road users, to inform the development of autonomous vehicles. We found that the roadways were contested spaces, with each road user group enacting their own social constructions of the road. Furthermore, the three groups we worked with all felt marginalized by comparison with car drivers, who were ideologically and often physically dominant on the road. This article is based on research for the Nissan Research Center - Silicon Valley, which took place as part of a Design Anthropology course at the University of North Texas.

scholarly journals Management of Speeding Comparing Two Applied Engineering Measures

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 10-14
Author(s):  
Zuhair Ebrahim ◽  
Hamid Nikraz
Keyword(s):  
Harm Minimisation ◽  
Crash Data ◽  
Road Crashes ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Engineering Measures ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

Abstract The importance of safety comes from the responsibility towards protecting the vulnerable road users, who seem to be the victims in most road crashes. Thus, authorities tend to focus on reducing the travelling speed of the vehicles, whereas some road users may consider the move to interfere with mobility. In this study, a case study in Perth’s two roads was conducted to compare two engineering treatments of speed reductions on these two busy shopping strips. The study aim is to illustrate the effect of using the electronic flashing signs rather than the standard signs in terms of speeding reduction and harm minimisation. Crash data were analysed and supported the safety benefits of the electronic flashing signs. Authorities have measured the reduction of the travelling speeds of vehicles and found it to be encouraging. There are clear, positive safety benefits from the study in terms of engineering and enforcement measures

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