Deploying an ITS Warning System for No-Passing Zones on Two-Lane Rural Roads

Type of Document Dissertation
Author El Zarif, Jamal A.
Author's Email Address nourghada@hotmail.com, jelzarif@vt.edu
URN etd-07032001-173252
Title Deploying an ITS Warning System for No-Passing Zones on Two-Lane Rural Roads
Degree PhD
Department Civil Engineering
Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title
Antoine Hobeika Committee Chair
Hesham Rakha Committee Co-Chair
Antonio Trani Committee Member
John Collura Committee Member
Pushkin Kachroo Committee Member
Keywords

* detection and warning system
* ARTS
* no-passing zone violation
* ITS
* simulation
* head-on collision

Date of Defense 2001-06-28
Availability unrestricted
Abstract

A new safety application, as part of ITS Advanced Rural Transportation System (ARTS), has been developed to be deployed on a two-lane rural road (Route 114), in Southwest Virginia. The route segment under study is subject to significant head-on accidents, as a result of two main conditions:

1- Illegal passing maneuvers crossing solid yellow line, and

2- A short passing sight distance due to the road vertical profile.

The main objective of this research is to design a video detection-based warning system by installing an affordable and efficient system on the vertical crest curve on Route 114, capable of performing the following two main functions:

1.Detect vehicles that attempt to violate the no-passing zone restriction (i.e. when crossing into the opposing direction).

2.Warn the drivers violating the restriction in order to discourage them from continuing their maneuvers.

System architecture as well as detailed system design was developed. A system simulation was conducted with the use of a special software program written with MATLAB. The simulation was applied for both "with" and "without" the system cases. The simulation runs showed that the system could virtually eliminate all head-on collisions, should violators obey the early warning messages displayed.

Several sensitivity tests were made for different scenarios.

Finally, the viability of the system was evaluated from economic point of view. The financial analysis revealed high economic indicators.

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