Evaluate Ohio Department of Transportation\u2019s Ability To Decrease Dump Truck Backing Accidents (Phase 2)

US Transportation Collection2021PDFTech ReportWei, HengZhou, Frank XuefuElzarka, HazemUniversity of CincinnatiOhio. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Statewide Planning and ResearchUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationOhio. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Statewide Planning and ResearchOhioUnited StatesDump trucksWork zonesSafetyBlind spotsDump truck backing accidentVision technologies sensing technologiesSafety and blind spotFHWA/OH-2021-1533813Final ReportAs a result of the Phase 1 project, \u201cImproper Backing\u201d and \u201cInattention while Backing\u201d are identified as two major causes of truck backing accidents. The comprehensive literature indicates that the probability of accidents occurring is about 70% in the rear area of a dump truck and about 20% in the right area. To that end, the overall goal of this research is to decrease ODOT\u2019s backing accidents by introducing new technologies to better equip ODOT highway technicians, particularly the drivers, with the ability to perform daily operations in a safer and more efficient manner. To fulfill the goal, the Advanced Vision Safety Enhancement (AdViSE) system for dump trucks has been designed, installed, and tested during the Phase 2 project. The pilot AdViSE system consists of four cameras with night vision (infrared capability) to provide views for areas behind the dump trucks, left (driver) and right (passenger) side of the dump truck, and the dump bed. Two radar sensors are deployed on the rear end of the truck to provide a redundant and supplementary multi-zone object detection for the rear area with audible alerts. The performance of the pilot AdViSE system is evaluated by using the measurable criteria for identifying the zones of camera visibility and radar detection. To facilitate identifying the system detection coverages compared with mirrors, the 360-degree bird\u2019s-eye views of camera, radar, and mirror detectable areas with visualized blind spots are generated under low-light and daylight conditions, based on the on-site system testing results. To help promote the applications of the AdViSE system especially under certain financial constraints, multiple optional configurations for the AdViSE system are recommended at different cost estimations to provide a cost-effective choice of the AdViSE application model at different coverage requirements on cameras\u2019 visibility and/or radars\u2019 detections. While the post-testing survey suggests a positive feedback, it is recommended to keep collecting observations when the AdViSE system is used in the future. More practical data is helpful to identify more insights for improving the AdViSE system and make it more cost-effectively operational in practice.143