Evaluation of Intelligent School Zone Beacon and Vehicle-Cyclist Detection and Warning System

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate a smartphone-based app called “TravelSafely” developed by Temple/AI. This app has the capability to alert drivers if they exceed a given speed threshold in an active school zone or when they are approaching a cyclist and a collision is possible. The authors collected trajectory and eye tracking data from 50 participants. Each participant drove a circuit twice and, in each circuit, drive through 4 school zones and one staged cyclist. The driving subjects were randomized across three conditions: (1) Stealth/OFF condition (drivers did not receive any alerts), (2) Audio ON (drivers received audio alerts), and (3) Audio/Visual ON (drivers received both audio and visual alerts). Overall, the experimental study suggests that the availability of an app decreases the probability of speeding in school zones and increased visual scanning behavior. These could translate into improved situational awareness and increased safety in school zones. In the case of the bicyclist, the results showed a significant increase the probability of seeing the cyclist with the availability of the app when the bicyclist was not expected. This suggest the value of the app in improving safety in locations in which cyclists are generally not expected. It is useful to acknowledge that these results are based on a relatively small sample of valid data points. Therefore, future studies with larger samples are warranted.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Edition: Final Report
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 59p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01761230
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Contract Numbers: BDV31 TWO 977-103
  • Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Dec 23 2020 12:16PM