Title: An evaluation of cooperative avoidance warning system

Authors: Laura M. Stanley, Nicholas J. Ward

Addresses: Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Montana State University/Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. ' Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Montana State University/Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717, USA

Abstract: Roadway obstructions, stalled vehicles, pedestrians and animals in or near the roadway create a significant safety hazard. Driver safety may be enhanced if drivers received an advanced warning of such hazards to improve their alertness and response times. A Cooperative Advance Warning System (CAWS) was developed to allow drivers who detect a hazard to send an advanced alert to other drivers. A human factors evaluation of this system was conducted using a sample of 45 drivers. Results of the evaluation showed a significant influence of CAWS on driver response to hazards in terms of crash risk reduction.

Keywords: cooperative warning; advanced collision warning; pedestrian warning systems; animal warning systems; hazard warning systems; driver behaviour; transport safety; human factors; driving simulation; car-to-car communication; vehicle safety; hazard detection; driver response; crash risk.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVS.2010.035321

International Journal of Vehicle Safety, 2010 Vol.5 No.1, pp.86 - 99

Received: 08 Feb 2010
Accepted: 18 Jun 2010
Published online: 21 Sep 2010 *

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