NHTSA researchers assessed technologies to improve the safety of intersections in the United States.
Nationwide, United States
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications: Readiness of V2V Technology for Application
Summary Information
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications technology and a supporting comprehensive research report "Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications: Readiness of V2V Technology for Implementation." The objective of the report was to analyze research conducted thus far, the technological solutions available for addressing the safety problems identified by the agency, the policy implications of choosing those technological solutions, and legal authority and legal issues such as liability and privacy.
This report examines the feasibility and readiness of the deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology on national roadways. Among the report's findings was a preliminary estimation of the benefits of two V2V applications: Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) and Left Turn Assist (LTA). The supporting research report included analysis of the U.S.DOT's research findings in several key areas including technical feasibility, privacy and security, and preliminary estimates on cost and safety benefits.
The study authors identified 1,040,000 annual crashes that could be affected by IMA and LTA deployment. The authors then calculated the preliminary crash avoidance and crashworthiness benefits of IMA and LTA using a computer simulation program (Safety Impact Methodology, or SIM) and a laboratory driver simulation (MiniSim). The SIM calculations utilized crash data from the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimate System (NASS-GES) to ascertain application effectiveness. The MiniSim effort involved conducting before-and-after testing utilizing a variety of intersection and left turn variables, such as a driver approaching a stop sign, green light, or red light, traffic crossing from the left or the right of the driver. The MiniSim experiment was conducted using an equal distribution of driver ages and genders.
Results
The report produced the following potential benefits of IMA and LTA deployment:
- 41 to 55 percent of target intersection accidents avoided
- 36 to 62 percent of left turn accidents avoided
- 413,000 to 592,000 crashes prevented annually
- 777 to 1,083 lives saved annually
- Reduction of 191,000 to 270,000 Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) injuries annually
