Real-time Road Safety Information System based on Monitoring Individual Vehicle Maneuverings: Methodology and Field Demonstration

Abstract

This study proposes a novel framework to evaluate the real-time level of road safety based on connected vehicle technologies including in-vehicle sensors, and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) wireless communication. An integrated safety monitoring index (ISMI) that incorporates a crash risk estimation model and a method to analyze hazardous driving events using individual vehicle maneuvering data are developed. The methodology and field implementation presented in this study have potential value to highway traffic agencies for monitoring and evaluating traffic streams with a focus on road traffic safety. The outcomes of the proposed system can be used to analyze traffic conditions before or after a crash, and this analysis can inform effective countermeasures for preventing crash occurrences. In addition, ISMI data stored on a database in the traffic management center can be archived and further analyzed using reported crash data. Another possible application outcome would be to use the data as a resource to identify crash-prone locations in a more active manner, rather than waiting until after actual crashes occur.