dc.contributor.author	Haus, Samantha Helen	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Perez, Miguel A.	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Gabler, Hampton Clay	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Doerzaph, Zachary R.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Jermakian, Jessica S.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Gayzik, Francis S.	en
dc.contributor.department	Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics	en
dc.date.accessioned	2021-11-17T09:00:15Z	en
dc.date.available	2021-11-17T09:00:15Z	en
dc.date.issued	2021-11-16	en
dc.description.abstract	In the United States, there were 36,560 traffic-related fatalities in 2018, of which 20% were pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users (VRUs) [1]. Vulnerable road users are non-vehicle occupants who, because they are not enclosed in a vehicle, are at higher risk of injury in traffic crashes. While overall traffic fatalities in the US have been decreasing, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities have been trending upward. Vehicle-based active safety features could avoid or mitigate crashes with VRUs, but are highly dependent on the ability to detect a VRU with enough time or distance. This work presents methods to examine the characteristics of vehicle-pedestrian and vehicle-bicycle crashes and near-crashes using a variety of data sources, assess the potential effectiveness of Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) in avoiding and mitigating VRU crashes through modeling and simulation, and estimate the future benefits of AEB for VRU safety in the United States. Additionally, active safety features are most effective when behavior of VRUs can be anticipated, however, the behavior of pedestrians and bicyclists is notoriously unpredictable. Therefore, an approach to examine and categorize pedestrian behavior in response to near-crashes and crashes events is presented. Overall, findings suggest that AEB has great potential to avoid and mitigate collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists, but it cannot avoid all crashes even when an idealized AEB system is assumed. Most pedestrians and bicyclists were found to be visible for at least one second prior to the crash, but obstructions, the unpredictability of VRUs, and adverse weather/lighting conditions still pose challenges in avoiding and mitigating crashes with VRUs.	en
dc.description.abstractgeneral	In the United States, there were 36,560 traffic-related fatalities in 2018, of which 20% were pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users (VRUs) [1]. Vulnerable road users are non-vehicle occupants who, because they are not enclosed in a vehicle, are at higher risk of injury in traffic crashes. While overall traffic fatalities in the US have been decreasing, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities are trending upward. Vehicle-based countermeasures, such as Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), could avoid or mitigate crashes with VRUs, but are highly dependent on the ability to detect a VRU with enough time or distance. My work presents methods to examine the characteristics of vehicle-pedestrian and vehicle-bicycle crashes and near-crashes using a variety of data sources, assess the potential effectiveness of AEB in avoiding and mitigating VRU crashes through modeling and simulation, and estimate the future benefits of AEB for VRU safety in the United States. Additionally, crash avoidance technologies are most effective when behavior of VRUs can be anticipated, however, the behavior of pedestrians and bicyclists is notoriously unpredictable. Therefore, I examined and categorized pedestrian behavior in response to near-crashes and crashes events. Overall, we found that AEB has great potential to avoid and mitigate collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists, but it cannot avoid all crashes even when assuming an idealized AEB system. Most pedestrians and bicyclists were found to be visible for at least one second prior to the crash, but obstructions, the unpredictability of VRUs, and adverse weather/lighting conditions still pose challenges in avoiding and mitigating crashes with VRUs.	en
dc.description.degree	Doctor of Philosophy	en
dc.format.medium	ETD	en
dc.identifier.other	vt_gsexam:33099	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/106655	en
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Tech	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	Vulnerable Road Users	en
dc.subject	Active Safety	en
dc.subject	AEB	en
dc.subject	U.S.	en
dc.subject	Benefits	en
dc.title	Effectiveness of Automatic Emergency Braking for Protection of Pedestrians and Bicyclists in the U.S.	en
dc.type	Dissertation	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Biomedical Engineering	en
thesis.degree.grantor	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	en
thesis.degree.level	doctoral	en
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy	en

Effectiveness of Automatic Emergency Braking for Protection of Pedestrians and Bicyclists in the U.S.

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