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Items of Interest 2008FebruaryWarning System for Road Departure Crashes – Volpe Center Evaluation Final Report
11 identical Nissan Altimas that were outfitted with the Road Departure Crash Warning System and used to conduct the Field Operational Test
Over 1.2 million road-departure crashes occur each year in the United States. Because these crashes often involve collisions with fixed objects or rollovers, they may be particularly severe and statistics show that they account for a high percentage of fatal crashes. The Volpe Center, in support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has completed an independent evaluation of a Road Departure Crash Warning System (RDCW), which warns drivers when they are in danger of departing the road, drifting out of their lane or are about to enter a curve at an unsafe speed. The goal of the independent evaluation was to determine the safety benefits and driver acceptance of this crash-avoidance system. 
The Road Departure Crash Warning System display on the left side of the dashboard shows device availability and alert status.
A field operational test of the system, conducted by the University of Michigan, collected data from 78 participants who drove over 80,000 miles. The publication of a final report on this work culminates a more than five-year effort where the Center has worked with NHTSA’s Office of Human Vehicle Performance Research. The report - a comprehensive analysis based on Field Operational Test data that evaluates performance, driver acceptance, and safety benefits - concludes the RDCW shows positive results in each of these areas despite some performance issues. The final report, Evaluation of a Road-Departure Crash Warning System (DOT HS 810 854, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington D.C.,) is authored by Dr. Bruce H. Wilson, Dr. Mary D. Stearns, Mr. Jonathan Koopmann all of the Advanced Safety Technology Division, and Dr. David Yang, formerly of the Volpe Center. (Added 02/21/08) New Developments in Wake Vortices and Atmospheric Turbulence - Conference paperAircraft wake vortices, pairs of mini horizontal cyclones trailing from the wings and caused by aircraft motion, have been responsible for a number of aviation accidents. The goal of the wake vortex program research, which is cosponsored by FAA and NASA, is to increase airport arrival and departure rates by reducing operating restrictions aimed at mitigating hazards posed by aircraft wakes without increasing the risk of an incident or accident. Current research has shown that it is also possible to increase safety while gaining capacity in certain operations. Volpe Center researchers recently delivered a paper entitled “Atmospheric Turbulence Effects on Near-Ground Wake Vortex Demise” at the American Meteorological Society’s 13th Conference on Aviation, Range and Aerospace Meteorology in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 21-24. The paper, co-authored by Hadi Wassaf, Amir Tabrizi, Frank Wang and Melanie Soares of the Volpe Center’s Advanced Surveillance and Communications Division, highlights the latest analysis results based on field measurements of wake vortex and ambience turbulence data from Houston, Texas on how atmospheric turbulence impacts the decay as well as breakup of departure vortices generated near the ground. These results advance the understanding of weather impact on wake turbulence demise near the ground. They also support the overall relative risk assessment of the Wake Turbulence Mitigation for Departures (WTMD) concept and program. This is a new procedure, based on an algorithm developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, that monitors wind conditions and permits reduced spacing between departures when the wind is blowing wakes away from runways. (Added 02/08/08) JanuaryVolpe Center contributes to the Transportation Research Board’s 2008 Annual Meeting The Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 2008 annual meeting drew more than 10,500 transportation professionals from around the world to Washington, DC. The spotlight theme for 2008 was Partnerships for Progress in Transportation. The Volpe Center was well represented in this diverse group of researchers, academics, administrators, and others from government and industry. Volpe Center staff participated in over 25 sessions or workshops, and delivered papers, presentations and poster sessions. Volpe Center participants covered a broad range of topics, including railroad track structures, behavior-based safety research, tank car safety, road pricing, urban partnerships, freight movement, transportation planning and transit security. As part of the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA), the Volpe Center developed and staffed part of the RITA exhibit featuring Volpe Center’s work, the University Transportation Centers (UTC), and the US DOT Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) exhibit. A DVD of the papers given at this conference - TRB 87th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers (2008, Accession number 01084478) - may be purchased from: Transportation Research Board Business Office (Added 01/30/08) Volpe Center has a New Acting Director
Mr. Robert Suda, Volpe Center’s new Acting Director
In January 2008, Mr. Robert Suda is assuming the post of Acting Director of the Volpe Center, to oversee the operations and management of all the Center’s programs. “Bob Suda has the background and experience necessary to help the Volpe Center excel as an internationally recognized center of transportation innovation,” said Research and Innovative Technology Administration Administrator Paul Brubaker; “Bob will ensure that the organization has the necessary support processes and is aligned to focus attention on national transportation priorities, such as using technology and innovation to achieve measurable improvements in safety and system performance.” Bob Suda has had a distinguished Federal career that spans nearly 30 years. He has held key positions at GSA in both the regional and headquarters offices. He has served as Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Information technology Solutions at GSA and as the Chief Financial Officer of the Federal Technology Service (FTS). He managed the government-wide SmartBUY program providing software licensing through enterprise agreements. He served as GSA’s Director of Finance and the agency’s first Deputy Chief Financial Officer. Before coming to the Volpe Center, Bob was the Associate Chief Information Officer for Integration and Operations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Bob served as the past chair of the Executive Leadership Conference. He also serves as an advisory committee member for the Government Information Technology Executive Council. The Center is fortunate to have Bob as its new leader. He understands the role of public service and its importance. He believes that making a difference in the transportation enterprise requires the collaborative effort of government and industry and the Volpe Center is uniquely positioned to contribute innovative solutions transportation challenges. Bob’s extensive information technology background is particularly important to the Center’s contribution to developing intelligent systems, such as vehicle infrastructure integration, which aims to link vehicles with roads through sensor technology. (Added 01/25/08) Volpe Center Annual AwardsVolpe Center Awards were presented at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Awards Ceremony that took place on December 19, 2007. Several Volpe Center individuals and teams were recipients of prestigious USDOT Secretarial Awards and others received awards from other DOT administrations as well as other federal agencies and entities. Thirty eight employees and teams received Director’s Recognition Awards. Their accomplishments are described in the Volpe Center Awards Program Booklet (PDF, 1.0 MB) (Added 01/25/08) Volpe Center Accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2007
The Volpe Center is pleased to announce the publication of Points of Pride FY 2007. This annual compilation of accomplishments illustrates the Volpe Center’s vital role as a unique Federal resource within the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration. These accomplishments demonstrate the many different ways that the Volpe Center supports the U.S. DOT and the broader transportation community in achieving their goals. Each Point of Pride is aligned with DOT’s national transportation objectives of safety, reduced congestion, global connectivity, environmental stewardship, and security, preparedness and response, or the Federal government’s principle management objective of achieving organizational excellence. The Center is committed to helping its clients achieve these goals through safer, simpler, and smarter transportation solutions. The report is available at: For more information on any of the projects described in this document, please contact Lynn C. Murray at (617) 494-2224 MurrayL@volpe.dot.gov. (Added 01/18/08) Volpe Center Research Helps Build the Next-Generation VehicleOver the past two years, NHTSA and the American Plastics Council (currently the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council) – as directed by Congress - have identified opportunities and challenges for enhancing the safety of future fuel-efficient and light-weight Plastics and Composites Intensive Vehicles (PCIVs). NHTSA tasked the Volpe Center to assess the current state of knowledge and identify key safety research needs for the development and commercial deployment of PCIVs by 2020. Future light-weight, plastics-rich, and fuel efficient vehicles must be designed to comply with, meet or exceed applicable NHTSA crash-safety standards. This study is especially timely in view of national priorities for increasing CAFE standards, to help achieve energy independence and environmental sustainability goals. Dr. Aviva Brecher (of the Planning and Policy Analysis Division), with assistance from Dr. John Brewer and Mr. Samuel Toma (of the Advanced Safety Technology Division) and industry collaborators, reviewed and summarized relevant literature and standards, interviewed leading subject matter experts, developed a PCIV 2020 safety vision, and identified the near-term, midterm, and long-term research needs and priorities. Recently, NHTSA and Volpe Center published a final report on this work entitled A Safety Roadmap for Future Plastics and Composites Intensive Vehicles (DOT-VNTSC-NHTSA-07-02; DOT HS 810 863). The study identifies strategic goals and research needs to realize the potential safety benefits of PCIVs, and to enable their deployment by 2020. The study also outlines follow-on research and milestones to measure progress towards PCIV design, development and technology integration. Continued Congressional interest and NHTSA funding allows the Volpe Center to undertake follow-on research in FY 2008 that will broaden, deepen, and implement key near-term PCIV Safety Roadmap priorities, consistent with NHTSA’s integrated safety strategy and in support of national fuel economy goals.
(Added 01/10/08) |
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