The Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment Project, initiated as a part of the Connected Vehicle Safety Research Program, represents a new multimodal, joint partnership between the NHTSA, FHWA , FMCSA and the FTA. The primary purpose of the Pilot Project is to gather enough safety data to support NHTSA’s upcoming decisions in 2013 (Light Vehicles) and 2014 (Heavy Vehicles) regarding the viability and future direction of the Connected Vehicle Program. The $14.9 Million Pilot Project, awarded to the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) on August 19th, 2011, will be conducted in the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan, starting in early 2012,and lasting approximately 30 months.
Safety Applications to be tested will include: Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Emergency Electronic Brake Light (EEBL), Blind Spot/Lane Change Warning (BSW/LCW), Do Not Pass Warning (DNPW), Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) and Left Turn Assist (LTA). The applications will be supported by a number of next-gen devices including, but not limited to: 1) Vehicle Awareness Device (VAD) – device only transmits a safety message (position, speed, etc.), 2) Aftermarket Safety Devices – same functional capabilities as the VAD, but also issues visual and audible alerts; 3) Retrofit Safety Devices, which will connect to a vehicle data bus (OBD-II) and sensors; and 4) Integrated Safety Systems, which include all prior functional capabilities.
The model deployment will include 2,800 vehicles outfitted with 2,450 Vehicle Awareness Devices, 300 Aftermarket Safety Devices and 67 integrated Safety Systems. 73 Lane-miles of roadway will be instrumented, including the deployment of 29 roadside equipment installations. RSUs will be installed at freeway entrances and along freeway segments within the testing area. USDOT will retain ownership of all data generated from the Pilot Project, however, plans are in place to make this data available to the general public as soon as possible. Volpe will provide independent evaluation of the pilot test.
References and Resources
USDOT RITA Connected Vehicle Research
http://www.its.dot.gov/connected_vehicle/connected_vehicle.htm
USDOT RITA Safety Pilot News Release
http://www.rita.dot.gov/press_room/press_releases/rita_005_11/html/rita_005_11.html
UMTRI Connected Vehicle Pilot Project
http://www.umtri.umich.edu/divisionPage.php?pageID=505
UMTRI Connected Vehicle News
http://umtri.umich.edu/cvnews/
