Design and Evaluation of a Connected Work Zone Hazard Detection and Communication System for Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs)

Roadside work zones (WZs) present imminent safety hazards for roadway workers as well as passing motorists. In 2016, 764 fatalities occurred in WZs in the United States due to motor vehicle traffic crashes, which are the second most common cause of worker fatalities. The advent of connected and connected automated vehicles (CVs/CAVs) is driving WZ safety practitioners and vehicle designers towards implementing solutions that will more accurately describe activity in WZs to help identify and communicate imminent safety hazards that elevate crash risks. A viable solution to this problem is to accurately localize, monitor, and predict WZ actors’ collision threats based on their movements and activities. This information along with CV/CAVs’ trajectories can be used to detect potential proximity conflicts and provide advanced warnings to workers, passing drivers, and CAV control systems. This project aims to address WZ safety by delivering a real-time threat detection and warning algorithm that can be used in wearable WZ communication solutions in conjunction with CVs/CAVs. As a result, this research provides a key element required to significantly improve the safety conditions of roadside WZs through prompt detection and communication of hazardous situations to workers and CVs/CAVs alike.