Principal Investigator: Thomas Seacrist, MBE, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

2019-2020

WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT?

This project was a necessary extension of Year 1 where we took a deep dive into the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) naturalistic database to look at what causes rear-end crashes. In Year 2, we focused on other types of crashes: road departures; intersections; impacts with pedestrians and cyclists; sideswipes; head-ons; and animal crashes. Then, working with our industry partners, we examined specific causes of crashes and what advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) technologies and engineering improvements could be used or improved to prevent them from occurring for those most at-risk: teen, young adult, and older drivers.

WHAT DID YOU FIND?

Recognition errors were most common in all of the crash types, which were due to cell phone use and other distractions, but decision errors occurred more often in crashes at intersections. We also didn’t find any gender differences. The use of ADAS features, such as automatic emergency braking and vehicle-to-vehicle technology, have great potential to address these driving errors.

WHAT ARE THE INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS FOR THIS RESEARCH?

This highly collaborative project brought together industry experts on technology and research experts on driving science. Together, we learned what specifically caused these crashes and how certain ADAS technologies can potentially be used to address these crash factors. Our findings can also be used to develop more robust vehicle test procedures, thus decreasing overall crash risk.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THIS LINE OF RESEARCH?

We want to determine the type, frequency, and associated characteristics of crash scenarios autonomous vehicles (AVs) will encounter when interacting with human drivers. Although AVs will be capable of identifying hazards and safely navigating our roadways, how will they handle driving errors committed by humans? Using SHRP2, we want to highlight these potential scenarios so that AV technologies can be developed to avoid these crash scenarios.

2018-2019

WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT?

Most vehicles today are incorporating crash avoidance technology based on standards for all drivers, but we know that young drivers and older drivers are more likely to crash. To help improve or optimize these technologies for the types of crashes and errors these drivers are making, we used the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), a large naturalistic driving study that recorded information from vehicles driven over two years, to study the specific errors made and other factors leading up to rear-end crashes, the most common type of crash. By studying this video footage, we know exactly what led to each crash instead of relying on personal stories that can be inaccurate.

WERE ANY OF THE RESULTS SURPRISING?

The wide range of distractions inside the car leading up to the crash was surprising. While cell phone use was a big one, we also saw drivers fall asleep, eat, and apply makeup. Even with a single specific type of crash, there’s a range of reasons leading up to it and a range of technologies that could help prevent it.

WHAT ARE THE INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS FOR THIS RESEARCH?

Our industry sponsors found the results valuable because we provided real-world crash information instead of information from test track or simulated crashes, which tend to be conducted in more idealized conditions. With these data, they can adapt their simulations or test procedures to match these real-world situations to design crash avoidance technologies that specifically address why younger and older drivers crash.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THIS LINE OF RESEARCH?

In Year 2, we will focus on other types of crashes: road departures; intersections; pedestrians and cyclists; sideswipes; head-ons; and animal crashes. Once we understand the factors that lead to these types of crashes, we can make recommendations to address them with various Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or other interventions.

Project Team Member

Kevin Heller, BA, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Students

Gregory Chingas, Drexel University; ShreyasSarfare, University of Pennsylvania; Maya Thirkill, Spelman College

IAB Mentors

Charles Thomas, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; Doug Longhitano, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; Kelly Funkhouser, Consumer Reports; FaribaFamilia, FCA US LLC; Guy Nuscholz, FCA US LLC; Dan Glaser, General Motors Holdings LLC; Arjun Yetukuri, Lear Corporation; RiniSherony, Toyota USA; Schuyler St. Lawrence, Toyota USA; HyunJung Kwon, Transportation Research Center; Uwe Meissner, Technical Advisor