Test and Evaluation of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) Driver-Vehicle Interface

The Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) project was conducted to develop and field-test a comprehensive system to assist drivers in reducing the number and severity of crashes at intersections due to violations at stop-sign and signal-controlled intersections. One essential component of such a system is the Driver- Vehicle Interface (DVI) to warn a driver of an impending violation. A series of test-track studies was conducted to support the selection of a DVI for subsequent on-road tests of the CICAS-V. In these tests, 18 naive drivers per interface were placed in a surprise intersection violation scenario and provided with a precisely timed warning presented through a variety of DVIs. Driver braking profiles and vehicle stop locations were collected and analyzed, with particular emphasis on behaviors that resulted in avoiding entering the intersection DVIs included combinations of visual, auditory, and haptic (brake pulse) warnings. Results from the tests showed that drivers exposed to a brake pulse tended to stop more often and with lower decelerations than drivers that were not exposed to the brake pulse. The effectiveness of the brake pulse warning, however, was partly moderated by the type of auditory warning that accompanied the brake pulse warning. A baseline trial was conducted to determine the benefit of the DVI over a non-warning condition. Overall, results supported the recommendation of a DVI containing the simultaneous presentation of a flashing visual (red stoplight/stop sign icon), a 'Stop Light' speech warning, and a single brake pulse. The best-performing DVI resulted in an 88% improvement over the baseline condition. Project participants included offices of the United States Department of Transportation, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. For the covering abstract see ITRD E145407.