Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Light-Vehicle Field Operational Test Methodology and Results Report

This document presents the methodology and results from the light-vehicle field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effects of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver acceptance. The light-vehicle platform included four integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, curve speed, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed on a fleet of Honda Accords driven by 108 lay-drivers for a period of six weeks each. Each vehicle was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a post-drive survey, debriefings, and focus groups. Key findings indicate that use of the integrated crash warning system resulted in improvements in lane-keeping, fewer lane departures, and increased turn signal use. Research also indicated that drivers were slightly more likely to maintain shorter headways with the integrated system. No negative behavioral adaptation effects were observed as a result of drivers’ involvement in secondary task behaviors. Drivers generally accepted the integrated system, and 72 percent of the drivers reported they would like to have such a system in their personal vehicles. Drivers also reported that the blind-spot detection component of the lane-change/merge crash warning system was the most useful aspect of the integrated system.