Sponsor

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Project Highlights

• Safety Pilot assesses the feasibility of using Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) applications
• Safety Pilot includes development of DSRC devices, driver clinics to demonstrate the technology to the general public, interoperability testing, and a large scale field test
• The Volpe Center will conduct the independent evaluation of Safety Pilot, in which safety benefits, driver acceptance, and system capabilities will be assessed
• The results obtained from the Safety Pilot Program will aid in the possible 2013 rulemaking concerning V2V and V2I technology

Project Point of Contact

Emily Nodine
617.494.2613
emily.nodine@dot.gov

Project Overview

The Safety Pilot Program will assess the capabilities of current vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies through the deployment of these technologies in a large scale field test. The leading edge technologies to provide the capabilities for vehicles to identify threats, hazards, and delays on the roadway and to communicate this information over wireless networks. The three-year research program in support of the United States Department of Transportation's goal to accelerate the introduction and commercialization of the DSRC-based crash avoidance systems. The Safety Pilot will consist of device development, driver clinics, pre-model deployment, model deployment, and data analysis. The Volpe Center will conduct the independent evaluation of the Safety Pilot, which will address safety impact, driver acceptance, and system capabilities of V2V and V2I technologies.

The Safety Pilot Program began in 2010 and will consist of the following five major stages:

• Device development: development of devices that will be used in later stages of the project. Devices will include "Here-I-Am" devices, aftermarket safety devices, and roadside equipment devices.
• Driver clinics: six driver clinics will be held to introduce members of the general public to a set of in-vehicle safety devices and gauge their reactions.
• Pre-model deployment testing: each type of device to be involved in the model deployment will be installed on a limited number of vehicles and tested to ensure that all elements of the Safety Pilot interact properly. This stage will also include acceptance testing of aftermarket devices.
• Model deployment: this stage tests the effectiveness of the safety applications installed in the test vehicles and the overall effectiveness of a deployed safety system capability. Model deployment will last 10 to 12 months.
• Post-model deployment evaluation: model deployment data will be transferred to the Independent Evaluator, and analysis of the data. Surveys and focus groups will be conducted to acquire subjective feedback about the devices.