Browsing by Author "Preston, Howard"
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Item Benefit:Cost Analysis of In-Vehicle Technologies and Infrastructure Modifications as a Means to Prevent Crashes Along Curves and Shoulders(Minnesota Department of Transportation, Research Services Section, 2009-12) Pitale, Jaswandi Tushar; Shankwitz, Craig; Preston, Howard; Barry, MichaelThe State of Minnesota has under way its Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) initiative, the goal of which is to eliminate fatal traffic crashes. This is a daunting task, and with limited financial resources, optimal strategies that provide the greatest benefit for a given cost have to be utilized if the goal of TZD is to be met. This report reviews both infrastructure and emerging in-vehicle solutions as a means to determine the optimal deployment strategy of countermeasures designed to improve highway safety. Infrastructure-based solutions are examined on two levels: 1) an analysis of a cross-section of strategies implemented throughout Minnesota, which 2) produced a before:after analysis that quantified the effectiveness of a variety of strategies utilized in Minnesota. In addition to the standard civil engineering countermeasures studied under the before:after analysis, emerging infrastructure and in-vehicle technology-based solutions were modeled in terms of effectiveness and potential deployment schedules. These cost and effectiveness models facilitated a comparison to the results of the before:after analysis, and from the comparison, optimal strategies for improving safety with limited funds and the TZD goal are presented.Item Overview of Rural Intersection Crashes at Candidate Intersections for the Intersection Decision Support (IDS) System(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2008-11) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, Craig; Crowson, GinnyThe Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project is sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), whose objective is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team’s focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s). In the original study, a review of Minnesota’s rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver. In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states cooperated in intersectioncrash research. This report provides an overview of the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for all participating states. This includes patterns identified in severity, driver, and type of error as well as countermeasures previously tried by states.Item Review of California’s Rural Intersection Crashes: Application of Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2008) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigThe Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project is sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), whose objective is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team’s focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s). In the original study, a review of Minnesota’s rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver. In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states are cooperating in intersection-crash research. This report documents the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for the State of California.Item Review of Georgia's Rural Intersection Crashes: Application of Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2007-07) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigThe Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project is sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) whose objective is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team's focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s). In the original study, a review of Minnesota's rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver. In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states are cooperating in intersection-crash research. This report documents the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for the State of Georgia.Item Review of Iowa's Rural Intersection Crashes: Application of Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2007-07) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigThe Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project is sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) whose objective is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team's focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s). In the original study, a review of Minnesota's rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver. In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states are cooperating in intersection-crash research. This report documents the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for the State of Iowa.Item Review of Michigan's Rural Intersection Crashes: Application of Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(2006-08-01) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigThe objective of the Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project, sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team's focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s).In the original study, a review of Minnesota's rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver.
In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states are cooperating in intersection-crash research. This report documents the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for the State of Michigan, culminating in a recommendation of an intersection for instrumentation. The driver gap acceptance behavior data to be collected at the selected intersection will feed into the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System (CICAS) Stop Sign Assist Program.
Item Review of Minnesota's Rural Intersection Crashes: Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(2004-03-01) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigMinnesota's rural crash records were analyzed in order to develop a better understanding of crashes at rural intersections and their cause. The objective in studying the causes of crashes at rural intersections is to support development of technology based strategies to mitigate high crash rates. Since previous research found that 80 percent of intersection crashes at thru-STOP intersections may be related to selection of insufficient gaps, the development and validation of Intersection Decision Support (IDS) technology that assists in proper gap selection was identified as a primary goal. A database of over 3,700 intersections was examined. Using the critical crash rate as an indicator, 23 rural expressway intersections and 104 rural two-lane intersections were identified as unusually 'dangerous' locations. Right angle crashes (which are most often related to gap selection) were observed to account for approximately 50 percent of all crashes at the 'dangerous' intersections, up from 28 percent for all rural thru-STOP intersections. A specific intersection identified, evaluated and then was selected for testing IDS technologies that can track vehicles approaching on the major roadway, compute the gap and communicate the information to drivers stopped on the minor street waiting to enter the intersection. The data acquisition system to be installed will allow analysis of driver decision-making behavior and study the effects of introducing an IDS under development at the University of Minnesota.Item Review of Nevada’s Rural Intersection Crashes: Application of Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2008-08) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigThe Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project is sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) whose objective is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team’s focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s). In the original study, a review of Minnesota’s rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver. In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states are cooperating in intersection-crash research. This report documents the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for the State of Nevada.Item Review of New Hampshire’s Rural Intersection Crashes: Application of Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2008-08) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigThe Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project is sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) whose objective is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team’s focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s). In the original study, a review of Minnesota’s rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver. In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states are cooperating in intersection-crash research. This report documents the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for the State of New Hampshire.Item Review of North Carolina's Rural Intersection Crashes: Application of Methodology for Identifying Intersections for Intersection Decision Support (IDS)(2006-08-01) Preston, Howard; Storm, Richard; Donath, Max; Shankwitz, CraigThe objective of the Intersection Decision Support (IDS) research project, sponsored by a consortium of states (Minnesota, California, and Virginia) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is to improve intersection safety. The Minnesota team's focus is to develop a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural unsignalized intersections and then develop a technology solution to address the cause(s).In the original study, a review of Minnesota's rural crash records and of past research identified poor driver gap selection as a major contributing cause of rural intersection crashes. Consequently, the design of the rural IDS technology has focused on enhancing the driver's ability to successfully negotiate rural intersections by communicating information about the available gaps in the traffic stream to the driver.
In order to develop an IDS technology that has the potential to be nationally deployed, the regional differences at rural intersections must first be understood. Only then can a universal solution be designed and evaluated. To achieve this goal of national consensus and deployment, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a State Pooled Fund study, in which nine states are cooperating in intersection-crash research. This report documents the crash analysis phase of the pooled fund study for the State of North Carolina, culminating in a recommendation of an intersection for instrumentation. The driver gap acceptance behavior data to be collected at the selected intersection will feed into the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System (CICAS) Stop Sign Assist Program.