MODELING TRAFFIC SAFETY BENEFITS OF INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES AT TRUCK INSPECTION FACILITIES: MICROSCOPIC SIMULATION

A microscopic simulation model was developed to capture the traffic safety benefits of using intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies, including weigh-in-motion scales with variable message signs, at truck inspection facilities. The development of the simulation model was motivated by prevalent safety concerns at congested truck inspection facilities nationwide. Three primary safety components (roadway, driver, and vehicle) were considered in the model. The roadway component focuses on the varying size of truck queues at inspection facilities and safety implications. The driver component captures key human factor elements and their variability, including distributions for perception-reaction time, speed, gap acceptance, headway, and braking characteristics. The vehicular component incorporates the size distribution of vehicles (trucks and nontrucks), proportion of trucks with defective braking systems, and their safety implications with respect to stopping distance. The primary objective for the model is to depict variations in traffic pattern for baseline (pre-ITS) and post-ITS situations. Measures of effectiveness used for evaluating traffic benefits of using ITS technologies include percent reduction in sudden deceleration of vehicles resulting from shock wave phenomena and percent reduction in duration of truck-queue overflow resulting from a high traffic intensity. Results from simulation runs support the hypothesis that the use of ITS technologies at truck inspection facilities significantly reduces the frequency of experiencing the high-risk traffic phenomena (e.g., hard braking and truck-queue overflow). The postulation is made that the reduction in the frequency of high-risk phenomena will translate into a decrease in the likelihood of experiencing crash-related incidents in the vicinity of truck inspection facilities.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/1779-23
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=MODELING+TRAFFIC+SAFETY+BENEFITS+OF+INTELLIGENT+TRANSPORTATION+SYSTEM+TECHNOLOGIES+AT+TRUCK+INSPECTION+FACILITIES%3a+MICROSCOPIC+SIMULATION&author=A.+Saka&author=R.+Glassco&publication_year=2001
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309072379
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1779, Traffic Safety 2001: Americans with Disabilities Act; Driver and Vehicle Modeling; Situation Awareness; Licensing; Driver Behavior; Enforcement; Trucks; and Motorcycles.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Saka, A A
  • Glassco, R A
• Publication Date: 2001

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 173-181
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1779
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefits; Human factors; Inspection stations; Intelligent transportation systems; Measures of effectiveness; Microscopic traffic flow; Simulation; Traffic queuing; Traffic safety; Variable message signs; Vehicle characteristics; Weigh in motion scales
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00824576
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309072379
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 13 2002 12:00AM