Research:

For CTS Researchers

Rural Intersection Collision Avoidance

Overview

View of the current test intersection, County State Aid Hwy. 9 and Hwy 52.

For an overview of the ITS Institute's Rural Intersection Decision Support research, download the IDS Fact Sheet (300 KB PDF).

Objective

To develop solutions to prevent and/or diminish vehicle crashes at rural highway intersections. Our research builds on recent advances in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technology to address a significant public safety problem. The proposed Intersection Decision Support (IDS) system to be developed represents a radical and innovative solution to a problem with far-reaching implications for the safety and mobility of the driving public. Gaining a better understanding of the causes of crashes at rural intersections will enable us to develop a toolbox of effective strategies to mitigate the high crash rate.

Projects

The ITS Institute is currently involved in two interrelated projects focused on reducing crashes at rural intersections:

The Infrastructure Consortium: Intersection Decision Support
This FHWA-funded effort involves the states of California, Virginia, and Minnesota. Each state focuses its efforts on a different type of intersection crash scenario. For more information on this project, go to the project's home page.
Reducing Crashes at Rural Intersections: Toward a Multi-state Consensus on Intersection Decision Support
A multi-state pooled fund effort, currently in the solicitation stage. Seven states have agreed to join the project, which will develop a widely deployable framework for IDS. For more information on this project, see the project's home page, review Study TPF-5(086) on the FHWA's Transportation Pooled-Fund site, or download the Research Prospectus (PDF document, 220 KB)

Background

Preliminary information seems to point to the driver's inability to correctly identify and select the gap needed for safe passage. This problem is particularly acute in rural areas.

Rural intersection crashes

Minnesota's rural crash conditions are common nationwide
A dramatic 70% of all fatal crashes occur in rural areas
Rural highways experience high volume, higher speed roads that carry major responsibility for the transport of goods and people in these geographic areas
Accidents often occur far from help

The primary objective of an Intersection Decision Support system would be to provide drivers on the minor road with information indicating when entry into the intersection is safe, while at the same time, not impeding traffic flow on the high speed major road.

Traffic signals are not the best answer

There is no reduction of total accidents with the introduction of a traffic signal, in fact, rear-end collisions increase
Signals cause more delays on high-volume roads where they cross low-volume roads, which can lead to crash conditions
Heavy vehicles traveling at highway speeds are more difficult to stop and more destructive to other vehicles in intersection collisions
Signals are known to be effective for a narrowly defined set of problems which rarely exist at rural intersections

Clearly, new solutions are needed to address the unique problems found at rural intersections.

Human factors in IDS

Intersection Decision Support puts the emphasis on the driver
IDS targets a primary cause of driver error—insufficient or erroneous information
Better information leads to better decision-making, which ultimate leads to better drivers

Important previous work on many related human-factors issues, including The ITS Institute's HumanFIRST Program at the University of Minnesota, will provide the foundation for the development of the IDS system.

Technology

Surveillance. IDS will build on work already underway, using radar, GPS, and digital map systems developed in the course of the University of Minnesota's Intelligent Vehicles research
Computation of vehicle locations will be leveraged and modified to track and predict vehicle trajectories in real time as vehicles approach intersections

The intent of IDS is to develop a cost effective system, including technologies, that does not impede high speed traffic on what is likely a corridor for commercial traffic, and does not increase the occurrence of rear end crashes typical of signalized intersections on high speed rural roads.