Benefit-Cost Analysis: Onboard Safety Systems Effectiveness Evaluation

This paper presents the safety benefits of three different onboard safety systems (OBSS) installed on Class 7 and 8 trucks as they operated during normal revenue-producing deliveries. Using a formal economic analysis approach, the study attempted to quantify the costs and benefits associated with lane departure warning (LDW) systems, roll stability control (RSC) systems, and forward collision warning (FCW) systems. The approach used in this project went far beyond any previous study in this domain. Not only did the current study use data collected directly from participating carriers (many of these crashes were not reported to state or Federal agencies), but the research team also reviewed each crash file to determine if the specific OBSS would have mitigated or prevented the crash. The deployment of each OBSS was anticipated to increase the safety of all road users but impact different sectors of society in different ways. Benefits that were inherent in each group (e.g., industry, society) were considered, and different cost-benefit analyses BCAs were required. This paper presents two BCAs: a BCA focused on the costs and benefits in the carrier industry by implementing each OBSS, and a BCA that measured the societal benefits of each OBSS. In addition, a BCA for a mandatory deployment option for each OBSS is presented. BCA results for LDW and RSC clearly showed that their benefits outweighed their costs for both the carrier and society. The BCA for FCW found only a few scenarios in which the benefits of FCW outweighed the costs (for trucks that traveled at least 180,000 miles per year).

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Flintsch, Alejandra Medina
  • Hickman, Jeffrey
  • Guo, Feng
  • Camden, Mathew
  • Hanowski, Richard J
  • Kwan, Quon
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
• Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 22p
• Monograph Title: TRB 91st Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Crash avoidance systems; Driver support systems; Social benefits; Truck crashes; Trucking safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Lane departures; Roll stability control
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I10: Economics and Administration; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01367881
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 12-2716
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 16 2012 9:15AM