Intelligent truck rollover advisory systems

To address the serious problem of truck rollover accidents on freeway exit ramps a system was developed and implemented by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a private consultant Bellomo-McGee, and a system integrator International Road Dynamics. The system utilizes several existing technologies to determine vehicle weight, vehicle type, vehicle speed, and vehicle declaration. The system uses the information gathered to evaluate each vehicle on a freeway exit ramp to determine if they are in danger of a rollover accident and provides a warning to vehicles in potential danger. The system was implemented at three sties in the Washington DC area that had a history of rollover accidents. A three year independent evaluation was conducted on behalf of the FHWA to determine the effectiveness of the system. The evaluation shows that the system has been effective in reducing speeds and reducing accidents at the three sites that were chosen and shows that the systems are economically beneficial.