Summary of Projects Funded By The Federal Highway Administration for The National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence From July 2006 to June 2014

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FOREWORD

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users authorization established the National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence (NSTSCE) at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). The core objectives of NSTSCE were to conduct research and develop safety devices and techniques that enhance driver performance; examine advanced roadway delineation and lighting systems; improve understanding of the impact of driver fatigue on crashes; develop and evaluate means to reduce the frequency of fatigue-related crashes; develop techniques to address age-related driver issues; and transmit project results to practitioners.

NSTSCE’s efforts were structured around a diverse stakeholders group: the Federal Government (the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), State Government (the Virginia Department of Transportation), academia (VTTI), and the private sector (General Motors® and Travelers® Insurance). The stakeholders group collectively reviewed individual project proposals from VTTI, selected proposals to be addressed by VTTI’s researchers, and allocated resources to the selected projects. NSTSCE represented a great opportunity for important safety research to be conducted in support of safety goals broader than those of any individual stakeholder.A total of 58 of the projects conducted by NSTSCE involved the direct funding participation by FHWA to develop advanced safety methods.

Monique R. Evans, P.E.
Director, FHWA Office of
Safety Research and Development

Technical Report Documentation Page

SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors

Table of contents

• CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
  • Background
  • Research Focus Areas
  • FHWA Funded Projects
• CHAPTER 2. DEVELOP SAFETY DEVICES AND TECHNIQUES THAT ENHANCE DRIVER PERFORMANCE
• CHAPTER 3. EXAMINE ADVANCED ROADWAY DELINEATION AND LIGHTING SYSTEMS
• CHAPTER 4. DEVELOP TECHNIQUES TO ADDRESS AGE-RELATED DRIVER ISSUES
• CHAPTER 5. DEVELOP TECHNIQUES TO ADDRESS DRIVER FATIGUE ISSUES
• CHAPTER 6. OUTREACH
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  • References

List of Tables

• Table 1. Template for project information
• Table 2. Method for Extracting Rural Driving Data from Naturalistic Driving Data
• Table 3. Crash/Near Crash Algorithm for Use on Naturalistic Driving Data
• Table 4. Driver Behavior in Crash Hot Spots and Rural Areas
• Table 5. Distraction Index Framework
• Table 6. Modeling 100-Car Safety Events: A Case-Based Approach for Analyzing Naturalistic Driving Data
• Table 7. Data Mining of the Independence by Franklin Intersection
• Table 8. Post-Processing to Determine Orientation of DAS Units
• Table 9. Public Access to VTTI Data
• Table 10. Bayesian Method for Naturalistic Driving Study
• Table 11. Data Center
• Table 12. Texting
• Table 13. Attention and Drowsy Driver Assist
• Table 14. Design and Implementation of OLAP Cube for Older Driver Dataset
• Table 15. Data Sharing Across Borders/Naturalistic Driving Studies — International Cooperation
• Table 16. Driving Scenario Classification
• Table 17. The Impacts of Safety-Critical Events on Driver Behavior
• Table 18. Secure Feedback for Onboard Monitoring System Training
• Table 19. Generic Motorcycle Bracketry and Housings
• Table 20. Integrating Roadway Data with Our Naturalistic Dataset
• Table 21. Development of the Luminance Camera System
• Table 22. Luminance Metrics for Roadway Lighting
• Table 23. Color Measurement System
• Table 24. Performance of New Roadway Lighting in Foggy Conditions/Performance of New Roadway Lighting in Rain Conditions
• Table 25. Assessment of Active Delineation Systems
• Table 26. Roadside Evaluation of a Buried Cable Animal Detection System
• Table 27. Exploration of the Integration of the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Data with the VTTI Lighting Database
• Table 28. Measurement of Visibility Conditions with Traffic Cameras
• Table 29. Discomfort-Disability Glare
• Table 30. Metric for Roadway Lighting Design
• Table 31. Visual Information and Driver Performance
• Table 32. Roadway Lighting Mobile Measurement System (RLMMS)
• Table 33. Rural Intersection Lighting Safety Analysis
• Table 34. Exploratory Color Contrast Experiment
• Table 35. Visual Behavior in Roundabouts
• Table 36. Older Driver Biomechanics
• Table 37. Teen Driving Initiative
• Table 38. Creating Capability for Automated Mask Post-Processing of Face Video in Naturalistic Databases
• Table 39. Comparing the Driving Safety Benefits of Brain Fitness Training Programs for Older Drivers
• Table 40. Older Driver Head Rotations at Intersections: An International Meta-Analysis of U.S. and Australian ND Databases
• Table 41. Fitness to Drive II
• Table 42. Senior Mobility Symposium
• Table 43. Validation of the Driver Coach Trigger Algorithms Using the 40-Teen Naturalistic Driving Study Dataset
• Table 44. Inclusion of a Driver Distraction Trigger for Driver Coach Project
• Table 45. A Survey of U.S. Light-Vehicle Driver Education Programs
• Table 46. Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Health and Fatigue Study
• Table 47. Assessment of Fatigue from the Drowsy Driver Warning System Field Operation Test (DDWS FOT)
• Table 48. Sneak Preview: A Proof of Concept of an Early SCE Detection Algorithm
• Table 49. Development and Evaluation of a Naturalistic Observer Rating of Drowsiness Protocol
• Table 50. Impact of Treating Sleep Apnea in Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers: A Case Study
• Table 51. Identifying High-Risk Commercial Truck Drivers Using a Naturalistic Approach
• Table 52. Case Study on a Worksite Health and Wellness Program
• Table 53. Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Use and Their Relationship to Involvement in a Safety-Critical Event
• Table 54. Evaluation of Light-Vehicle Driver Education Programs Targeting Sharing the Road with Heavy Vehicles: Case Study Analysis
• Table 55. Tips for Sharing the Road with Commercial Motor Vehicles: A Web-Based Approach
• Table 56. Distraction and Fatigue in Occupational Light-Vehicle Drivers
• Table 57. Driver Health Tips Web Site
• Table 58. YouTube® Video Library
• Table 59. Heavy Vehicle Safety Outreach