Abstract

The process of developing new automotive systems includes various testing cycles to assure a save operation in traffic. Physical system testing on test tracks is very important for this purpose, but rather expensive and might only become possible in later stages of the development process. Using a virtual simulation environment offers a safe possibility of testing new systems in early stages of development. Aditionally, driver-in-the-loop tests at test track and in a virtual simulator make it possible to evaluate driver reaction and potential acceptance by the future users of those systems. Within PROSPECT the new functions are investigated under various aspects in several simulator studies and test track studies. This deliverable D7.3 gives detailed information of conduction and results of the each study. Three studies focus exclusively on the for Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) specifically dangerous urban intersection scenarios. The first of those studies examines the driver behaviour in a turning situation when a byciclist might be crossing. The described phenomena are looked-but-failed-to-see and failed-to-look. The second study, which provides an initial step in this line of research, analyzed the acceptance of issued forward collision warning times. The positioning of the potential accident opponent and the subjective feeling towards the criticality of the situation by the driver were key parameters taken into account. Last, but not least the acceptance of an intersection assist autonomous emergency braking systems was tested regarding the acceptance of potential buyers. The study was run for five days in a row for each participant to be able to judge the behaviour in a comuting situation. Two studies focused on longitudinal scenarios. Both studies followed the same design, but one was conducted on a test track and the other one in a simulator. The main objective was to investigate drivers reactions to FCW warnings and Active Steering interventions in critical VRU scenarios in case of a distraction of the driver. Additionally, the test track study was used to validate the results from the simulator study. The results of those studies are the basis for a wide acceptance evaluation of the systems. No system is an asset in increasing road safety if it is not accepted by the user and therefore turned off, if it is not required the system to be default on in consumer tests. Complemented by an additional acceptance study where the participants had to give their opinion of those systems after they watched videos of dangerous situations, the acceptance was analyzed based on questionnaires developed in PROSPECT and reported in Deliverable 7.2. This wholistic approach allows an expert discussion on the potentials of the PROSPECT functions in the future.

Abstract

Deliverable D2.1 'Accident Analysis, Naturalistic Observations and Project Implications' is issued in the scope of WP2 'Accident analysis and user needs' from the PROSPECT project. The objective of WP2 is to generate the user requirements for next generation proactive safety systems, with a focus on the specific needs of vulnerable road users (VRUs). Part A of deliverable D2.1 (Accident data analyses) provided results from task T2.1 'Characteristics of vehicle to VRU accidents'. Within this task, an in-depth accident analysis involving Vulnerable Road Users was carried out in Europe, focusing mainly on pedestrians and cyclists.The output already obtained from task T2.1 has provided information about the current safety situation and the identification of the most relevant car-to-cyclist and car-to-pedestrian accident scenarios where safety improvements are necessary. This data has been used to define the use cases of PROSPECT, and the system development will focus on the most relevant of these. The overall process of use case definition for PROSPECT and the associated test catalogue derived from the accident analysis data is provided in deliverable D3.1 'The addressed VRU scenarios within PROSPECT and associated test catalogue', available in May 2016.This report corresponds to Part B of deliverable D2.1, which seeks to provide additional knowledge to the project through naturalistic observations within selected European cities in order to establish how vehicles and VRUs interact in real traffic situations. This work has been developed in task T2.2.Naturalistic observations facilitate a better understanding of potentially dangerous traffic situations with VRUs. In particular, it includes the identification of motions, behaviours and interactions that lead to such situations, from both VRU and driver perspective. Additional to the information provided from the accident databases, it is necessary to identify the parameters that signal VRU intent in order to enable earlier and more precise reactions by safety systems. Naturalistic observations are therefore crucial for the development of advanced algorithms integrated in next generation PROSPECT-like systems, and must be also taken into account as relevant factors for the definition of test scenarios.An introduction and specific objectives of the task are presented in this part, as well as the methodology for data acquisition and extraction of conflicts regarding VRUs in real-world traffic from infrastructure-mounted and/or vehicle-based sensors and cameras in Lyon, Budapest and Barcelona. An additional study made on Helmond on cyclist behaviour is also described.The parameters considered for the analyses of conflicts are provided, as well as analysis of the conflicts.Finally, this part of the document offers a general conclusion about the results obtained from the naturalistic observations.