Potential benefits of forward collision avoidance technology

The last decade has seen the advent of various intelligent driver aids that are commonly referred to as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Some examples of ADAS are lane departure warning, intelligent speed adaptation, automatic parking, electronic stability control and adaptive cruise control (ACC). As these systems have matured, some that were originally developed simply to ease the driverrs task have been developed to provide a safety benefit. ACC is a prime example of such a technology. ACC, originally developed to allow the driver to keep cruise control active in traffic of varying speed, has been expanded to autonomously brake the vehicle when an impending collision is detected. Such systems are generally referred to as forward collision avoidance technology (FCAT). The aims of this project were to: Review trials and other evaluations of FCAT systems; Examine the literature for estimates of FCAT effectiveness; Report on the different technologies associated with FCAT systems; Review current costs of FCAT systems; Describe testing and regulatory issues around FCAT systems; Estimate the effectiveness of FCAT systems in Australia; Conduct a benefit-cost analysis of FCAT systems given probable crash rates of vehicles in Australia. Regulators, insurers, vehicle manufacturers, system manufacturers and vehicle safety researchers were contacted at the start of the project to obtain up-to-date information about available technologies, performance standards and effectiveness studies. Several manufacturers provided relevant technical information about their systems in production. Manufacturers were generally unable to provide specific information on systems under development, however a few were able to provide technical performance specifications. These were used to guide the choice of system parameters in the simulation study described in Section 5. Much of the information that was gained from these consultations has been used throughout the report. A summary of the activity surrounding FCAT systems was then reported.