As accidents with trucks have a large influence on traffic flow, a large pilot on the effect of driver assistance systems was kicked off in July 2008 in the Netherlands. The primary goals of the pilot are to assess the potential for improving safety and maintaining traffic flow.
The potential contribution of driver assistance systems to these objectives will be determined with 2550 trucks from about 100 transport companies. Each truck is equipped with one assistance system and a registration unit for monitoring driving and vehicle behaviour.
Driver assistance systems used are: Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Directional Control, Adaptive Cruise Control, Rollover Control and Black Box with Feedback. The latter system was developed especially for this project. Based on continuous measurements, the driver receives a daily report on his “safe and congestion preventing” driving behaviour. So far, drivers and transport companies are very positive on this system.
When closing the pilot halfway 2009, it will be concluded what the effects are of these systems on traffic safety and congestion. The conclusions will be based on proving ground tests, simulations and measurements from the pilot, like:
Effects on traffic flow will be quantified based on changes in driving behaviour and based on expected reductions of accidents. This pilot will deliver unique, statistical data on the actual effectiveness of a range of driver assistance systems.
The project is performed in a close cooperation between TNO, the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Connekt and Buck Consultants. Currently, the focus is on the Netherlands, but it is investigated how to interpret the results for Europe.