Guidelines on Limiting Distraction from Visual Displays (VDs) in Vehicles

The objective of this study was to produce a set of recommendations intended to reduce distraction through the safe design, installation, and use of in-vehicle VDs. This was accomplished though critical reviews of the available latest research, guidelines, standards, and best practices; legislation and regulations; and trends in mitigation strategies and technologies. Read More

Pooled Research on Driver-Focused Studies – FMCSA

This study examined a wide array of driver personal and situational factors to determine the prevalence of these factors and their relationships to crash involvement. VTTI collected driver medical, demographic, and other personal factors to examine their relationships with various safety outcomes based on crash data from the participating carrier and crashes and moving violation convictions from national datasets. Data from over 21,000 drivers were collected, and 20,753 of these drivers were included in the analyses. Read More

Sharing the Road with Large Trucks: Teen Driver Education – FMCSA

This ongoing project aims to provide novice drivers with information and a hands-on learning experience about sharing the road with trucks. Researchers from VTTI visit driver education programs to conduct an onsite demonstration about proper procedures for sharing the road with trucks. The hands-on program is designed to be completed in a single class period and includes a short in-class presentation and an outside truck demonstration. During the truck demonstration, objects and vehicles are strategically placed around the truck to demonstrate large truck blind spots. Students take turns sitting in the cab of the truck to experience the blind spots from a truck driver’s perspective. Read More

Fast Dash Program - FMCSA

The FMCSA’s Advanced System Testing utilizing a Data Acquisition System on the Highways (FAST DASH) program conducts efficient, independent evaluations of promising safety technologies aimed at commercial vehicle operations. CTBS is completed three technology evaluations over five years with a focus on the efficacy of safety systems as measured through: crash reduction effectiveness (i.e., safety improvements), unintended consequences (i.e., safety disbenefits), and user (e.g., driver and safety manager) acceptance. Read More

CMV Driver Restart – FMCSA

VTTI conducted a Congressionally mandated naturalistic study to evaluate the operational, safety, fatigue and health impacts of the restart provisions in Sections 395.3(c) and 395.3(d) of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. A total of 235 commercial motor vehicle drivers representative of the industry contributed data while working their normal schedules, with 181 drivers completing all five months of the study. Drivers were monitored via electronic logging devices; onboard monitoring systems to detect safety-critical events; wrist actigraph devices for sleep-wake tracking; and smartphone apps for self-ratings of fatigue, sleepiness, stress, sleep quality, and caffeine intake. Drivers were also subjected to Brief Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT-B) performance testing. Read More

Field Study of Heavy Vehicle Crash Avoidance – NHTSA

VTTI conducted a large-scale, naturalistic field test of heavy vehicle crash avoidance system (CAS) performance and reliability. In the CAS examined in this study, automatic emergency braking was always enabled, and a suite of audio/visual alerts informed the driver of potential conflicts. VTTI documented how frequently CAS systems activate under real-world conditions, the environmental conditions in which they activate, and how drivers reacted to activations. The study sampled 6,000 activations for further analysis to determine how many were safety critical, advisory, or false in nature. Finally, VTTI characterized CAS activations to provide real-world data that can be used to estimate CAS safety benefits. The research team collected over 85,000 hours and 2.5 million miles of truck driving data from all 48 lower U.S. states. The results have helped NHTSA and industry understand how to improve CAS usability to maximize the safety benefits. Read More

Bus Operator Workstation – NAS (National Academy of Sciences)

This project was designed to assist transit agencies and bus manufacturers to integrate improved and emerging technologies into current procurement practices and improve bus operator workstation design across the transit industry. The research team sought to develop the updated bus operator workstation guideline, including tools such as the Bus Operator Workstation Feature Guideline and the three-dimensional (3-D) CAD model, Bus Operator Workstation Engineering CAD Model, into products that align with the processes and practices that are common within the rest of the commercial bus and truck industry. To assist in the communication of bus operator workstation requirements with individuals who are not trained in expensive and difficult CAD software, a Bus Operator Workstation 3-D PDF Model was created for anyone who has access to a computer. Read More