Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC)

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Browsing Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC) by Subject "human factors"

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    Connected Motorcycle Crash Warning Interfaces
    Song, Miao; McLaughlin, Shane B.; Doerzaph, Zachary R. (Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC), 2016-01-15)
    Crash warning systems have been deployed in the high-end vehicle market segment for some time and are trickling down to additional motor vehicle industry segments each year. The motorcycle segment, however, has no deployed crash warning system to date. With the active development of next generation crash warning systems based on connected vehicle technologies, this study explored possible interface designs for motorcycle crash warning systems and evaluated their rider acceptance and effectiveness in a connected vehicle context. Four prototype warning interface displays covering three warning mode alternatives (auditory, visual, and haptic) were designed and developed for motorcycles. They were tested on-road with three connected vehicle safety applications - intersection movement assist, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning - which were selected according to the most impactful crash types identified for motorcycles. It showed that a combination of warning modalities was preferred to a single display by 87.2% of participants and combined auditory and haptic displays showed considerable promise for implementation. Auditory display is easily implemented given the adoption rate of in-helmet auditory systems. Its weakness of presenting directional information in this study may be remedied by using simple speech or with the help of haptic design, which performed well at providing such information and was also found to be attractive to riders. The findings revealed both opportunities and challenges of visual displays for motorcycle crash warning systems. More importantly, differences among riders of three major motorcycle types (cruiser, sport, and touring) in terms of riders’ acceptance of a crash warning interface were revealed. Based on the results, recommendations were provided for an appropriate crash warning interface design for motorcycles and riders in a connected vehicle environment.
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    Connected Vehicle Applications for Adaptive Overhead Lighting (On-demand Lighting)
    Gibbons, Ronald B.; Palmer, Matthew; Jahangiri, Arash (Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC), 2016-07-01)
    The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) has developed an on-demand roadway lighting system and has tested the system’s effect on driver visual performance. On-demand roadway lighting can dramatically reduce energy usage while maintaining or increasing vehicle and pedestrian safety. The system developed by VTTI uses connected vehicle technology (CVT), wireless lighting controls, LED luminaires, and a stand-alone processor on the Virginia Smart Road to sense vehicles and turn on roadway lighting only when needed. During this research project, the use of on-demand, or just-in-time, lighting was investigated with respect to assessing driver distraction, and to human factors, including a driver’s ability to visually detect and recognize on-road objects and pedestrians. The developed on-demand lighting system described above utilized dedicated short range communication (DSRC), connected vehicle infrastructure (CVI), and centralized wireless lighting controls, and was used with VTTI-developed in-vehicle instrumentation and custom software. The software allowed the study of forward preview time in terms of forward lighting distance needed for drivers to detect roadside pedestrians and hazards. Visual performance testing revealed a relationship between speed and the amount of forward lighting needed to detect pedestrians and hazards on the side of the roadway, and a small, but statistically insignificant, practical difference in visual performance between on-demand lighting and continuously-on lighting conditions. A survey of participant reactions indicated that the public generally accepts on-demand lighting and does not find it distracting as long as a minimum lighting condition is met. The survey also found that participants felt the system provided a safe driving environment. The main application for an on-demand lighting system would be on roadways with little traffic at night and higher accident rates, or higher conflict areas such as intersections, pedestrian crossings, and merge areas.
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    Connected Vehicle Enabled Freeway Merge Management – Field Test
    Smith, Brian L.; Park, Hyungjun; Hayat, Md Tanveer (Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC), 2016-01-01)
    Freeway congestion is a major problem of the transportation system, resulting in major economic loss in terms of traffic delays and fuel costs. With connected vehicle (CV) technologies, more proactive traffic management strategies are possible. The Freeway Merge Assistance System (FMAS) can implement innovative ramp management strategies by providing personalized advisories to individual drivers to ensure smoother merging. The benefits anticipated from these strategies will completely depend on the advisory compliance of the drivers; this, in turn, will be influenced by situational as well as individual behavioral factors. The purpose of this research was to investigate drivers’ responses to this new generation of personalized in-vehicle advisory messages. A field test was conducted with naïve human subjects to collect driver behavior data about different types of advisory messages under different traffic scenarios in a controlled environment. The data gathered from the field test indicated that the compliance rate was higher when a large- or medium-size gap was available for a lane change. The lowest compliance rate was observed for a small-gap scenario. In addition, it was discovered that more drivers would follow a direct advisory message that advised a lane change rather than an indirect message which was meant to stimulate a lane change through speed control.
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    Human Factors Evaluation of an In-Vehicle Active Traffic and Demand Management (ATDM) System
    Sykes, Kayla (Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC), 2016-02-15)
    This research study focused on the development and subsequent evaluation of an in-vehicle Active Traffic and Demand Management (ATDM) system deployed on Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia. The ATDM elements inside the vehicle allowed drivers to remain consistently aware of traffic conditions and roadway requirements even if external signage was inaccessible. Forty participants were accompanied by a member of the research team and experienced the following in-vehicle device (IVD) features: 1) dynamic speed limits, 2) dynamic lane use/shoulder control, 3) High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) restrictions, and 4) variable message signs (VMS). This ATDM system was equipped with auditory and visual alerts to notify the driver when relevant information was updated. The research questions addressed distraction, desirability, and driver behavior associated with the system. Participant data was collected from the instrumented vehicle, various surveys, and researcher observation. Several key findings were uncovered related to each research category: 1) the IVD would not be classified as a distraction according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) distraction guidelines, 2) 73% of participants would want the in-vehicle technology in their next vehicle, and 3) the speed limit alert motivated participants to alter their speed (based on both survey results and actual participant speed data).
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    Prototyping and Evaluating a Smartphone Dynamic Message Sign (DMS) Application
    Smith, Brian L.; Ma, Jiaqi; Park, Hyungjun (Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC), 2015-12-15)
    Traveler Information Systems are designed and operated by transportation agencies to provide travelers with real-time traffic information, enabling them to make better travel decisions. One of the most commonly used ways to provide real-time, en route traveler information to motorists is through Dynamic Message Signs (DMSs). Despite their effectiveness, they are costly and limited in terms of the amount of information they can deliver. The wide availability of smart mobile devices can provide traveler information through in-vehicle devices (without incurring huge infrastructure costs) and (in a more flexible manner) to selected individuals and locations without geographical constraints. Research was conducted to comprehensively develop and evaluate this concept and a summary of tasks and findings is presented below. First, this research proposed the concept of a Virtual Dynamic Message Sign (VDMS) system utilizing a smartphone-based application to demonstrate and summarize user experience for future deployment. The user survey revealed a positive attitude among participants toward a VDMS system in terms of both usefulness and satisfaction; the average ratings were −0.90 and −0.81 respectively on a −2 to 2 (Totally agree to Totally disagree) five-point Likert scale. The survey also indicated that most drivers (81.0%) perceived VDMS as a safer way to receive information. Many drivers (66.7%) also felt more comfortable receiving an audible message from a VDMS system rather than a text message on a DMS. The results indicate great user acceptability and the potential for such systems to be deployed by public agencies in the future. This research also aimed to address the question of whether a VDMS conveys information at least as effectively as existing DMSs. A mixed, repeated-measure experiment was designed using a driver simulator to examine (1) the impacts of driver age, (2) information transmission mode, (3) amount of information, and (4) driving complexity on message comprehension, distraction, and perceived difficulty. Forty-two people were recruited and each of them participated in a test under different combinations. Participant performance was measured in terms of message comprehension, distraction, and self-reported message difficulty level. Results revealed that VDMS generally performs better than DMS across different amounts of information, under different driving conditions, and regardless of driver age. VDMS proved significantly better than DMS in message comprehension under relatively complex conditions. It reduced reaction time to unexpected stimuli (as measured with a reduced time-to-brake of 0.39 seconds), and made the same messages easier to process and retain for drivers than DMS. Based on these results, it is recommended that transportation agencies give careful consideration to VDMS as a future strategy for delivering public traffic information in a connected vehicle environment.
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    Reducing School Bus/Light-Vehicle Conflicts Through Connected Vehicle Communications
    Palframan, Kelly Donoghue; Alden, Andrew S. (Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC), 2016-08-15)
    This project aimed to develop and test a concept for improving the safety of school bus transportation using connected vehicle technology. The project consisted of three key steps that led to a final road study: 1) conducting focus groups with light vehicle drivers and school bus drivers to determine what type of in-vehicle school-bus related information they would like to receive/send; 2) developing a concept of operations to accommodate driver desires; and 3) evaluating the effect of an in-vehicle message that warns of a stopped school bus ahead. In the road study, researchers evaluated each driver’s response through analysis of vehicle kinematics (speed, longitudinal acceleration, and jerk) when a bus was staged either beyond a “School Bus Stop Ahead” roadside sign or beyond the point at which a similar in-vehicle message was presented. Driver responses for each condition were compared to a baseline condition that described their driving behavior when no bus was present on the roadway. The results showed a nearly immediate response to in-vehicle messages, whereas the corresponding roadside sign messages provided little evidence of modifying driver behavior prior to visually observing a stopped school bus in the roadway.
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    Safety, Operational, and Energy Impacts of In-vehicle Adaptive Stop Displays Using Connected Vehicle Technology
    Noble, Alexandria M. (Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC), 2015-07-30)
    Un-signalized intersections create multiple opportunities for missed or misunderstood information. Stop sign-controlled intersections have also been shown to be a source of delay and emissions due to their frequent, often inappropriate use. By using connected vehicle technology, it is possible to place electronic stop signs at more conspicuous locations that can communicate with the in-vehicle systems. Then, if a conflict is imminent at an intersection, the vehicle’s system alerts the driver, thus reducing the probability of missed information, as well as decreasing the amount of unnecessary delay, fuel consumption, and emissions by only prompting a stop when a conflict is present. Before implementing any new technology, it is important to assess it from both a transportation engineering and human factors standpoint to determine the value of such a system. The objective of this study was to assess perceived benefits of an adaptive in-vehicle stop display and to determine if there were any negative safety implications with the use of this system. This was accomplished through a test track experiment with 49 participants. These drivers were presented with a standard R1-1 stop sign on the in-vehicle display, as well as an experimental sign, which informed them to proceed through the intersection with caution. Results indicate the implementation of this technology reduces delay, decreases fuel consumption, and does not instigate any safety decrements.