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Emerging Technologies and Sustainable Road Safety
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Emerging Technologies and Sustainable Road Safety

A topical collection in Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This collection belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Viewed by 49380

Editor

Prof. Dr. Ali Pirdavani

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Faculty of Engineering Technology, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
Interests: road engineering; traffic safety; automated vehicles; driving simulation; road safety modeling

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

As one of the fastest growing sectors in the socioeconomic context, transportation is expected to experience an accelerated expansion in the next few decades due to the ever-increasing population, rapid motorization, and rising incomes. However, rapid growth of traffic has resulted in continuously increasing safety problems. These safety problems arise when one or more elements of the transportation system fail during the complex interaction among driver, vehicle, and environment. Making a road sustainably less hazardous requires a systems approach, understanding the system as a whole and the interaction between its elements, and identifying where there is potential for intervention. In particular, it requires the recognition that the human body is highly vulnerable to injury and that humans make mistakes. This is in line with the principles of sustainable road safety that require the environment and vehicle to be designed in a way that serious crashes would be eliminated and the severity of crashes would be mitigated. This becomes possible by utilization of new technologies so as to minimize the system’s dependence on humans.

In this Topical Collection, we aim to reveal the impacts of different technologies on generating sustainable safety. This Topical Collection will help researchers and practitioners understand the impact of new technologies on traffic safety improvement, potential technological and practical barriers, and the analysis tools and techniques required, to name a few.

In view of the established objectives of this Topical Collection, we invite scholars and practitioners to submit their original research or review articles. Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS);
  • Advances in driving simulator research;
  • Cross-cultural differences with regard to the design, implementation, and usage of in-vehicle equipment;
  • Elderly drivers and new in-vehicle equipment;
  • Emerging technologies in designing safer roads;
  • Intelligent transport systems and road infrastructure;
  • Intelligent vehicle technologies;
  • New methods in road safety data collection and analysis;
  • Smart mobility and sustainability;
  • Sustainable road infrastructure designs.

Prof. Dr. Ali Pirdavani
Collection Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • advanced driver-assistance systems
  • driving aids and devices
  • new car technologies
  • road safety analysis
  • sustainable safety
  • smart mobility

Published Papers (21 papers)

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2024

Jump to: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020

22 pages, 823 KiB  
Article
Comparative Evaluation of Crash Hotspot Identification Methods: Empirical Bayes vs. Potential for Safety Improvement Using Variants of Negative Binomial Models
by Muhammad Wisal Khattak, Hans De Backer, Pieter De Winne, Tom Brijs and Ali Pirdavani
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1537; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su16041537 - 11 Feb 2024
Viewed by 679
Abstract
The empirical Bayes (EB) method is widely acclaimed for crash hotspot identification (HSID), which integrates crash prediction model estimates and observed crash frequency to compute the expected crash frequency of a site. The traditional negative binomial (NB) models, often used to estimate crash [...] Read more.
The empirical Bayes (EB) method is widely acclaimed for crash hotspot identification (HSID), which integrates crash prediction model estimates and observed crash frequency to compute the expected crash frequency of a site. The traditional negative binomial (NB) models, often used to estimate crash predictive models, typically struggle with accounting for the unobserved heterogeneity in crash data. Complex extensions of the NB models are applied to overcome these shortcomings. These techniques also present new challenges, for instance, applying the EB procedures, especially for out-of-sample data. This study applies a random parameter negative binomial (RPNB) model within the EB framework for HSID using out-of-sample data, comparing its performance with a varying dispersion parameter NB model (VDPNB). The research also evaluates the potential for safety improvement (PSI) scores for both models and compares them with EB estimates using three generalised criteria: high crashes consistency test (HCCT), common sites consistency test (CSCT), and absolute rank differences test (ARDT). The results yield dual insights. Firstly, the study highlights associations between crash covariates and frequency, emphasising the significance of roadway geometric design characteristics (e.g., lane width, number of lanes, and parking type) and traffic volume. Some variables also influenced overdispersion parameters in the VDPNB model. In the RPNB model, annual average daily traffic (AADT) and lane width emerged as random parameters. Secondly, the HSID performance assessment revealed the superiority of the EB method over PSI. Notably, the RPNB model, compared to the VDPNB, demonstrates superior performance in EB estimates for HSID with out-of-sample data. This research recommends adopting the EB method with RPNB models for robust HSID. Full article
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19 pages, 5416 KiB  
Article
School Bus Lighting Effectiveness and Improvements: Results from a Driving Experiment
by Devon Farmer, Yeonjung Song, Panju Shin, Hyun Kim, Sanjay Tandan and Jun Lee
Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 501; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su16020501 - 05 Jan 2024
Viewed by 666
Abstract
In Korea, drivers should come to a complete halt and proceed cautiously when encountering a school bus displaying its red warning lights and other safety features, a requirement that is often disregarded in practice. The reason for this might stem from a lack [...] Read more.
In Korea, drivers should come to a complete halt and proceed cautiously when encountering a school bus displaying its red warning lights and other safety features, a requirement that is often disregarded in practice. The reason for this might stem from a lack of awareness about the law, and we set out to investigate whether an innovative lighting system employing road projections or VMS could encourage compliance. We found that while 63% of drivers in surveys indicated they would correctly stop when approaching a stopped school bus, in driving experiments, we found that only 18% of drivers did. Our study also uncovered a knowledge gap, with just 53% to 60% of respondents correctly answering basic about the purpose of existing lighting and laws related to school buses. With on-road experiments, when we introduced road projection systems for enhanced non-connected vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, we found that understanding would increase and compliance could increase by up to 77% (from surveys) and 93% (in road tests); these findings underscore the potential of road projections or potentially VMS as effective V2V tools for enhancing road safety in proximity to school buses. Full article
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2023

Jump to: 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020

13 pages, 2072 KiB  
Article
A Driver Behavior Monitoring System for Sustainable Traffic and Road Construction
by Hannes Sappl and Tibor Kubjatko
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12305; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151612305 - 12 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1427
Abstract
The perception and behavior of human drivers is of great importance for both sustainable road construction and sustainable coexistence with self-driving vehicles. To record the (hazard) perception and responsiveness of drivers, as many parameters as possible of the recognition and reaction process must [...] Read more.
The perception and behavior of human drivers is of great importance for both sustainable road construction and sustainable coexistence with self-driving vehicles. To record the (hazard) perception and responsiveness of drivers, as many parameters as possible of the recognition and reaction process must be measured and recorded. It must be known what the drivers see or perceive and how they react to it. In modern vehicles, all pedal positions and driving data are transmitted to the CAN bus and can be assigned to the associated sources using reverse engineering methods. What drivers see or recognize can be recorded from the driver’s perspective using (eye-tracking) videos or photos. To evaluate the vehicle and image data, systems are required that can, among other things, record both channels and link them synchronously. To fulfill this purpose, two different systems are developed and compared here, both of which can be used in real traffic. Full article
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19 pages, 2966 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Rainfall and Illumination on Automotive Sensors Detection Performance
by Hexuan Li, Nadine Bamminger, Zoltan Ferenc Magosi, Christoph Feichtinger, Yongqi Zhao, Tomislav Mihalj, Faris Orucevic and Arno Eichberger
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7260; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15097260 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2013
Abstract
Vehicle safety promises to be one of the Advanced Driver Assistance System’s (ADAS) biggest benefits. Higher levels of automation remove the human driver from the chain of events that can lead to a crash. Sensors play an influential role in vehicle driving as [...] Read more.
Vehicle safety promises to be one of the Advanced Driver Assistance System’s (ADAS) biggest benefits. Higher levels of automation remove the human driver from the chain of events that can lead to a crash. Sensors play an influential role in vehicle driving as well as in ADAS by helping the driver to watch the vehicle’s surroundings for safe driving. Thus, the driving load is drastically reduced from steering as well as accelerating and braking for long-term driving. The baseline for the development of future intelligent vehicles relies even more on the fusion of data from surrounding sensors such as Camera, LiDAR and Radar. These sensors not only need to perceive in clear weather but also need to detect accurately adverse weather and illumination conditions. Otherwise, a small error could have an incalculable impact on ADAS. Most of the current studies are based on indoor or static testing. In order to solve this problem, this paper designs a series of dynamic test cases with the help of outdoor rain and intelligent lightning simulation facilities to make the sensor application scenarios more realistic. As a result, the effect of rainfall and illumination on sensor perception performance is investigated. As speculated, the performance of all automotive sensors is degraded by adverse environmental factors, but their behaviour is not identical. Future work on sensor model development and sensor information fusion should therefore take this into account. Full article
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16 pages, 644 KiB  
Article
Safety Culture among Transport Companies in Ethiopia: Are They Ready for Emerging Fleet Technologies?
by Ehitayhu Hagos, Tom Brijs, Kris Brijs, Geert Wets and Bikila Teklu
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3232; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15043232 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1576
Abstract
The safety culture and safety climate of transport companies have a significant impact on fleet safety outcomes. Ample research shows that transport companies with a strong safety culture also show lower crash statistics. In spite of modern technologies that help with having a [...] Read more.
The safety culture and safety climate of transport companies have a significant impact on fleet safety outcomes. Ample research shows that transport companies with a strong safety culture also show lower crash statistics. In spite of modern technologies that help with having a safer fleet, it is difficult to achieve a safer fleet without a proactive safety culture and climate. In Ethiopia, it is assumed that most transport companies have failed to create a distinguishable safety climate in their fleet safety administration and that their heavy vehicle drivers have a poor safety culture. These could be important factors contributing to a higher rate of road traffic crashes involving heavy vehicles. This study aims to assess the existing safety culture among a sample of transport companies in Ethiopia and identify suitable intervention methods to improve the safety culture. Moreover, the study sought to identify the readiness of the transport companies to apply modern technology in their fleets by examining their safety culture and safety climate. In total, 10 fleet managers and 174 heavy vehicle drivers participated in the fleet safety audit survey. A descriptive analysis and a detailed fleet safety audit score were calculated. Based on the scale scoring, ten companies score below best practices, one scores well below best practices, and only one company meets the criteria to be considered achieving best practices. The results from this study show that the safety culture and safety climate in most transport companies are quite limited. In addition, most transport companies implement similar safety measures, including inconsistent driver training and annual maintenance. Full article
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16 pages, 23677 KiB  
Article
Speed Display Radars’ Impact on Speed Reduction on District Roads at Settlement Entrances
by Juraj Vertlberg, Marijan Jakovljević, Marko Ševrović and Kamer Shabanaj
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3099; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15043099 - 08 Feb 2023
Viewed by 869
Abstract
Speed is one of the main causes of severe traffic accidents, especially of those involving vulnerable road users. Speed display radars are one of the engineering solutions that aim to reduce the speed of traffic flow at locations where it is crucial. A [...] Read more.
Speed is one of the main causes of severe traffic accidents, especially of those involving vulnerable road users. Speed display radars are one of the engineering solutions that aim to reduce the speed of traffic flow at locations where it is crucial. A before and after study was conducted at six locations on district roads in the Republic of Croatia. As part of the research, vehicles’ speeds were measured for two weeks, during which the devices’ displays were switched off for one week and switched on for another, however, the devices’ radars recorded and collected the speeds of all vehicles which passed during the research period. The research collected a total of 182,352 speeds of recorded vehicles. The test was performed to determine the effect of speed display radar on the potential vehicles’ speed reduction. The results did not show a statistically significant difference in average hourly speeds at most locations, however, they showed a statistically significant difference in 85th percentile hourly speeds of approximately 1 to 3 km/h. Therefore, it can be concluded that the speed display radars at the locations had a positive effect on reducing the vehicles’ speeds. Additionally, at some locations a decrease in the number of speed limit violators was found which proved to be a statistically significant difference between the share of speed limit violators in total traffic flow. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020

12 pages, 2001 KiB  
Article
Safety Analysis of Merging Vehicles Based on the Speed Difference between on-Ramp and Following Mainstream Vehicles Using NGSIM Data
by Qinaat Hussain, Charitha Dias, Ali Al-Shahrani and Intizar Hussain
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16436; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142416436 - 08 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1068
Abstract
Highway merging points are critical elements due to the interactions between merging vehicles and following vehicles on the outermost lane of the highway stream. Such interactions could have significant implications for safety and capacity at ramp locations. The aim of this study was [...] Read more.
Highway merging points are critical elements due to the interactions between merging vehicles and following vehicles on the outermost lane of the highway stream. Such interactions could have significant implications for safety and capacity at ramp locations. The aim of this study was to investigate the spacing adjustment behavior by the interacting drivers at merging locations. In this regard, we relied on the NGSIM trajectory dataset to investigate the impacts of the speed difference between the following and merging vehicles on a space headway, considering different geometric designs and vehicle classes. Nonlinear regression models were estimated to analyze the interactions. The results showed a significant and exponential tendency for headway reduction, particularly when the difference in speed was higher than 30 km/h. In addition, the findings revealed that the highway with an auxiliary lane performed better in terms of headway reduction. Furthermore, the space headway reduction trend was higher when the following vehicle was a truck rather than a car. Policymakers and practitioners aiming to improve road safety at merging locations could use this study’s findings. The resulting parameters can also be utilized in microsimulation models, e.g., for headway adjustment behavior in car-following models. Full article
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16 pages, 928 KiB  
Article
Adopting Electric Motorcycles for Ride-Hailing Services: Influential Factors from Driver’s Perspective
by Tanto Adi Waluyo, Muhammad Zudhy Irawan and Dewanti
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 11891; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141911891 - 21 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2523
Abstract
Recently, the Indonesian government has been increasingly encouraging the population to utilize electric vehicles. In the public transportation sector, including ride-hailing services, the use of electric vehicles, especially motorcycles, is promoted. This study aims to explore the willingness to adopt electric motorcycles among [...] Read more.
Recently, the Indonesian government has been increasingly encouraging the population to utilize electric vehicles. In the public transportation sector, including ride-hailing services, the use of electric vehicles, especially motorcycles, is promoted. This study aims to explore the willingness to adopt electric motorcycles among ride-hailing drivers by specifying the preference for buying or renting in adopting electric motorcycles. Using a stated preference method, an interview survey was conducted on 416 ride-hailing drivers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Nine variables were tested to understand the determinants of electric motorcycle adoption, including purchase or rental costs, cost for motorcycle title transfer, fuel price, maximum coverage distance, maximum speed, the distance between battery exchange stations, annual tax, and credit payment. By using the ordered logit model, the results revealed two variables affecting the purchase of electric motorcycles: purchase price and maximum coverage distance. Meanwhile, four variables significantly influenced the determination of electric motorcycle rental: coverage distance, fuel price, rental fees, and the distance between battery exchange stations. Sociodemographic variables also significantly affect the decision to rent but not purchase electric motorcycles. Meanwhile, full-time drivers and students who work part-time as drivers are more likely to rent electric motorcycles. This study also found that renting electric motorcycles had a better likelihood of adoption than owning them. Finally, several policies were proposed to boost the adoption of electric motorcycles among ride-hailing drivers, including subsidy provisions, technology improvement, and priority provisions for drivers who use electric motorcycles. Full article
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20 pages, 5176 KiB  
Article
Driver Behavioral Classification on Curves Based on the Relationship between Speed, Trajectories, and Eye Movements: A Driving Simulator Study
by Maria Emilia Schio Rondora, Ali Pirdavani and Ana Paula C. Larocca
Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6241; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14106241 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1725
Abstract
Horizontal curves of rural highways are prone to a considerably high number of fatalities because an erroneous perception can lead to unsafe driving. This generally occurs when a driver fails to notice the highway geometry or changes in the driving environment, particularly curved [...] Read more.
Horizontal curves of rural highways are prone to a considerably high number of fatalities because an erroneous perception can lead to unsafe driving. This generally occurs when a driver fails to notice the highway geometry or changes in the driving environment, particularly curved segments. This study aimed to understand the geometric characteristics of curved segments, such as radius and approach tangents, on the driving performance towards minimizing vehicle crashes. Speed profiles and lateral position, the most common indicators of successful negotiation in curves, and eye movements were recorded during an experiment conducted in a fixed-base driving simulator equipped with an eye-tracking system with a road infrastructure (a three-lane highway) and its surroundings. A driving simulator can faithfully reproduce any situation and enable sustainable research because it is a high-tech and cost-effective tool allowing repeatability in a laboratory. The experiment was conducted with 28 drivers who covered approximately 500 test kilometers with 90 horizontal curves comprising nine different combinations of radii and approach tangent lengths. The drivers’ behavior on each curve was classified as ideal, normal, intermediate, cutting, or correcting according to their trajectories and speed changes for analyses of the performance parameters and their correlation conducted by factorial ANOVA and Pearson chi-square tests. The cross-tabulation results indicated that the safest behavior significantly increased when the curve radius increased, and the performance measures of curve radii were greatly affected. However, the driving behavior was not affected by the approach tangent length. The results revealed segments of the road that require a driver’s closer attention for essential vehicle control, critical information, and vehicle control in different parts of the task. Full article
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2021

Jump to: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020

18 pages, 6528 KiB  
Article
Intersection Safety Assessment Using Video-Based Traffic Conflict Analysis: The Case Study of Thailand
by Nopadon Kronprasert, Chomphunut Sutheerakul, Thaned Satiennam and Paramet Luathep
Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12722; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132212722 - 17 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3578
Abstract
In the road transport network, intersections are among the most critical locations leading to a risk of death and serious injury. The traditional methods to assess the safety of intersections are based on statistical analyses that require crash data. However, such data may [...] Read more.
In the road transport network, intersections are among the most critical locations leading to a risk of death and serious injury. The traditional methods to assess the safety of intersections are based on statistical analyses that require crash data. However, such data may be under-reported and omit important crash-related factors. The conventional approaches, therefore, are not easily applied to making comparisons of intersection designs under different road classifications. This study developed a risk-based approach that incorporates video-based traffic conflict analysis to investigate vehicle conflicts under mixed traffic conditions including motorcycles and cars in Thailand. The study applied such conflict data to assess the risk of intersections in terms of time-to-collision and conflict speed. Five functional classes of intersections were investigated, including local-road/local-road, local-road/collector, collector/arterial, collector/collector, and arterial/arterial intersections. The results showed that intersection classes, characteristics, and control affect the behavior of motorists and the safety of intersections. The results found that the low-order intersections with stop/no control are high risks due to the short time-to-collision of motorcycle-related conflicts. They generate frequent conflicts with low chance of injury. The high-order intersections with signal control are high risks due to high conflicting speeds of motorcycle–car conflicts. They generate few conflicts but at a high chance of injury. The study presents the applicability of video-based traffic conflict analysis for systematically estimating the crash risk of intersections. The risk-based approach can be deemed as a supplement indicator in addition to limited crash data to evaluate the safety of intersections. However, future research is needed to explore the potential of other road infrastructure under different circumstances. Full article
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15 pages, 1211 KiB  
Article
“Everything Somewhere” or “Something Everywhere”: Examining the Implications of Automated Vehicles’ Deployment Strategies
by Pavlos Tafidis, Haneen Farah, Tom Brijs and Ali Pirdavani
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9750; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179750 - 30 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2594
Abstract
“Everything somewhere” or “something everywhere” is the classic dilemma concerning the development and implementation of the future generation of vehicles, i.e., automated vehicles (AVs). Both strategies include diverse policy options that could significantly impact road networks’ planning, design, operation, and utilization. Until now, [...] Read more.
“Everything somewhere” or “something everywhere” is the classic dilemma concerning the development and implementation of the future generation of vehicles, i.e., automated vehicles (AVs). Both strategies include diverse policy options that could significantly impact road networks’ planning, design, operation, and utilization. Until now, no significant research has been conducted concerning their implications. In this paper, we aim to examine how ready the current physical infrastructure is by identifying the requirements of each strategy and then applying them in a common type of intersection. The study’s findings demonstrate that AVs’ performance can be affected by policy implementation decisions and adds further weight to the argument of AVs separation or no-separation from no-AVs traffic. Furthermore, the insignificant improvements in traffic performance imply the low readiness of the current road networks in urban areas to accommodate the new technology. This study contributes to determining that research on the readiness of the road infrastructure and the deployment of AVs in urban areas is inevitable. It also identifies that roads’ geometric design can dramatically affect AVs’ operation and the difficulties of implementing dedicated lanes in urban areas due to space availability. Full article
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18 pages, 1795 KiB  
Article
Lane-Level Map-Aiding Approach Based on Non-Lane-Level Digital Map Data in Road Transport Security
by Philipp Luz, Li Zhang, Jinyue Wang and Volker Schwieger
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9724; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179724 - 30 Aug 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1778
Abstract
To prevent terror attacks in which trucks are used as weapons as happened in Nice or Berlin in 2016, the European Project Autonomous Emergency Maneuvering and Movement Monitoring for Road Transport Security (TransSec) was launched in 2018. One crucial point of this project [...] Read more.
To prevent terror attacks in which trucks are used as weapons as happened in Nice or Berlin in 2016, the European Project Autonomous Emergency Maneuvering and Movement Monitoring for Road Transport Security (TransSec) was launched in 2018. One crucial point of this project is the development of a map-aiding approach for the localization of vehicles on digital maps, so that the information in digital map data can be used to detect prohibited driving maneuvers, such as off-road or wrong-way drivers. For example, a lane-level map-aiding approach is required for wrong-way driver detection. Navigation Data Standard (NDS) is one of the worldwide map standards developed by several automobile manufacturers. So far, there is no lane-level NDS map covers a large area, therefore, it was decided to use the latest available NDS map without lane level accuracy. In this paper, a lane-level map-aiding approach based on a non-lane-level NDS map is presented. Due to the inaccuracy of vehicle position and digital map the map-aiding does not always provide the correct results, so probabilities of off-road and wrong-way diver detection are estimated to support risk estimation. The performance of the developed map-aiding approach is comprehensively evaluated with both real and simulated trajectories. Full article
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14 pages, 1109 KiB  
Article
The Evaluation of Experimental Variables for Sustainable Virtual Road Safety Audits
by Yeonsoo Jun, Juneyoung Park and Chunho Yeom
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5899; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13115899 - 24 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1864
Abstract
This paper evaluates experimental variables for virtual road safety audits (VRSAs) through practical experiments to promote sustainable road safety. VRSAs perform road safety audits using driving simulators (DSs), and all objects in the road environment cannot be experimental variables because of realistic constraints. [...] Read more.
This paper evaluates experimental variables for virtual road safety audits (VRSAs) through practical experiments to promote sustainable road safety. VRSAs perform road safety audits using driving simulators (DSs), and all objects in the road environment cannot be experimental variables because of realistic constraints. Therefore, the study evaluates the likelihood of recommendation of VRSA experimental variables by comparing DSs experiments and field reviews to secure sustainable road safety conditions. The net promoter score results evaluated “Tunnel”, “Bridge”, “Underpass”, “Footbridge”, “Traffic island”, “Sign”, “Lane”, “Road marking”, “Traffic light”, “Median barrier”, “Road furniture”, and “Traffic condition” as recommended variables. On the contrary, the “Road pavement”, “Drainage”, “Lighting”, “Vehicle”, “Pedestrian”, “Bicycle”, “Accident”, and “Hazard event” variables were not recommended. The study can be used for decision making in VRSA scenario development as an initial effort to evaluate its experimental variables. Full article
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17 pages, 493 KiB  
Article
Advanced Driver Assistant Systems Focused on Pedestrians’ Safety: A User Experience Approach
by Matúš Šucha, Ralf Risser and Kristýna Honzíčková
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4264; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084264 - 12 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1745
Abstract
Globally, pedestrians represent 23% of all road deaths. Many solutions to protect pedestrians are proposed; in this paper, we focus on technical solutions of the ADAS–Advanced Driver Assistance Systems–type. Concerning the interaction between drivers and pedestrians, we want to have a closer look [...] Read more.
Globally, pedestrians represent 23% of all road deaths. Many solutions to protect pedestrians are proposed; in this paper, we focus on technical solutions of the ADAS–Advanced Driver Assistance Systems–type. Concerning the interaction between drivers and pedestrians, we want to have a closer look at two aspects: how to protect pedestrians with the help of vehicle technology, and how pedestrians–but also car drivers–perceive and accept such technology. The aim of the present study was to analyze and describe the experiences, needs, and preferences of pedestrians–and drivers–in connection with ADAS, or in other words, how ADAS should work in such a way that it would protect pedestrians and make walking more relaxed. Moreover, we interviewed experts in the field in order to check if, in the near future, the needs and preferences of pedestrians and drivers can be met by new generations of ADAS. A combination of different methods, specifically, an original questionnaire, on-the-spot interviewing, and expert interviews, was used to collect data. The qualitative data was analyzed using qualitative text analysis (clustering and categorization). The questionnaire for drivers was answered by a total of 70 respondents, while a total of 60 pedestrians agreed to complete questionnaires concerning pedestrian safety. Expert interviews (five interviews) were conducted by means of personal interviews, approximately one hour in duration. We conclude that systems to protect pedestrians–to avoid collisions of cars with pedestrians–are considered useful by all groups, though with somewhat different implications. With respect to the features of such systems, the considerations are very heterogeneous, and experimentation is needed in order to develop optimal systems, but a decisive argument put forward by some of the experts is that autonomous vehicles will have to be programmed extremely defensively. Given this argument, we conclude that we will need more discussion concerning typical interaction situations in order to find solutions that allow traffic to work both smoothly and safely. Full article
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19 pages, 574 KiB  
Review
Long-Term Sustainability Approach in Road Traffic Noise Wall Design
by Maja Ahac, Saša Ahac and Stjepan Lakušić
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 536; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020536 - 08 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2994
Abstract
Despite the long-term experience in the application of noise walls, the uncertainty in wall panel service life efficiency is almost equal between panels built from established and new materials, which are—because of the desire to increase the sustainability of noise walls—developing at an [...] Read more.
Despite the long-term experience in the application of noise walls, the uncertainty in wall panel service life efficiency is almost equal between panels built from established and new materials, which are—because of the desire to increase the sustainability of noise walls—developing at an ever-faster pace. The presented meta-analysis of data collected during a systematic review of concrete, metal, and wood panels’ acoustic and non-acoustic characteristics, long term performance, and cradle-to-gate sustainability aims to reduce this uncertainty and support the process of noise wall design and management by shifting the emphasis in decision making from construction costs to the long-term sustainability of the road traffic noise mitigation project. The multi-criterial analysis showed that when choosing a panel, preference should be given to those using lightweight concrete materials. A further comprehensive cradle-to-grave assessment of lightweight concrete panels with expanded clay and recycled tire rubber aggregates, which was performed to fill a knowledge gap observed in the literature and identify opportunities for the improvement of lightweight concrete sustainability, showed that the main environmental impacts of these panels are due to their production processes and that the way to reduce such impacts is to use panels made with aggregates from secondary raw materials. Full article
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2020

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16 pages, 1274 KiB  
Article
Applying an Alternative Approach for Assessing Sustainable Road Transport: A Benchmarking Analysis on EU Countries
by Yongjun Shen, Qiong Bao and Elke Hermans
Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10391; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su122410391 - 11 Dec 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1904
Abstract
Road transport plays an important role in economic development, trade and social integration. However, it is also responsible for certain negative impacts on environment and society. In order to achieve sustainable development, there is a growing need for a country to assess both [...] Read more.
Road transport plays an important role in economic development, trade and social integration. However, it is also responsible for certain negative impacts on environment and society. In order to achieve sustainable development, there is a growing need for a country to assess both the benefits from road transport and its undesirable costs, to compare them with those in other countries and to provide estimates of their future developments. In this research, starting from the identification of relevant factors (both desirable and undesirable), a benchmarking approach is proposed as an alternative way to assess sustainable road transport among the 28 EU countries. Meanwhile, the basic concept of data envelopment analysis (DEA) for benchmarking purpose is further extended to integrate both the desirable achievements and the undesirable costs in evaluation. As a result, an overall road transport sustainability score is computed for the 28 EU countries, which can be further split into two efficiency scores with respect to desirable and undesirable factors, respectively. Furthermore, after applying a clustering analysis that groups countries with inherent similarity in their practices, the model is adopted to identify best-performing and underperforming countries within the cluster, as well as the reference sets for those underperforming ones, based on which valuable insights are gained, enabling decision makers to prioritize their actions towards a more sustainable road transport system in the future. Full article
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16 pages, 2041 KiB  
Article
Factors Influencing the Purchase Intention of Autonomous Cars
by Darja Topolšek, Dario Babić, Darko Babić and Tina Cvahte Ojsteršek
Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10303; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su122410303 - 10 Dec 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4940
Abstract
Even though autonomous cars have not yet crossed into the mainstream car market, their adoption seems inevitable, but not much is known about the purchasing intention of ACs and potential influences on it. To better understand the influences of various factors on purchasing [...] Read more.
Even though autonomous cars have not yet crossed into the mainstream car market, their adoption seems inevitable, but not much is known about the purchasing intention of ACs and potential influences on it. To better understand the influences of various factors on purchasing intentions of autonomous cars, research using bibliometrics, an online survey and SEM modelling was performed. Based on an analysis of previous research work and the unified theory of acceptance of technology, an empirical model was produced and tested using data obtained from an online survey involving 266 individuals. The goal was to analyse which characteristics of autonomous cars, socio-demographic variables of potential buyers, and buyers’ personal and social characteristics could potentially influence the adoption of autonomous cars. The results show that factors of car safety, buyer age and level of education, perceived social influence, anxiety and performance expectancy are significantly correlated to purchasing intention of ACs, while correlations with other factors to purchasing intentions have not been proven. Full article
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18 pages, 3074 KiB  
Article
Rethinking Highway Safety Analysis by Leveraging Crowdsourced Waze Data
by Xiao Li, Bahar Dadashova, Siyu Yu and Zhe Zhang
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10127; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su122310127 - 04 Dec 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3532
Abstract
Identification of traffic crash hot spots is of great importance for improving roadway safety and maintaining the transportation system’s sustainability. Traditionally, police crash reports (PCR) have been used as the primary source of crash data in safety studies. However, using PCR as the [...] Read more.
Identification of traffic crash hot spots is of great importance for improving roadway safety and maintaining the transportation system’s sustainability. Traditionally, police crash reports (PCR) have been used as the primary source of crash data in safety studies. However, using PCR as the sole source of information has several drawbacks. For example, some crashes, which do not cause extensive property damage, are mostly underreported. Underreporting of crashes can significantly influence the effectiveness of data-driven safety analysis and prevent safety analysts from reaching statistically meaningful results. Crowdsourced traffic incident data such as Waze have great potential to complement traditional safety analysis by providing user-captured crash and traffic incident data. However, using these data sources also has some challenges. One of the major problems is data redundancy because many people may report the same event. In this paper, the authors explore the potential of using crowdsourced Waze incident reports (WIRs) to identify high-risk road segments. The researchers first propose a new methodology to eliminate redundant WIRs. Then, the researchers use WIRs and PCRs from an I-35 corridor in North Texas to conduct the safety analysis. Results demonstrated that WIRs and PCRs are spatially correlated; however, their temporal distributions are significantly different. WIRs have broader coverage, with 60.24 percent of road segments in the study site receiving more WIRs than PCRs. Moreover, by combining WIRs with PCRs, more high-risk road segments can be identified (14 miles) than the results generated from PCRs (8 miles). Full article
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16 pages, 3731 KiB  
Article
Active Road Studs as an Alternative to Lighting on Rural Roads: Driver Safety Perception
by Richard Llewellyn, Jonathan Cowie and Mike Maher
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9648; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12229648 - 19 Nov 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4719
Abstract
Drivers, particularly with increasing age, cite driving at night as being problematic and feeling unsafe. Ultimately this may result in self-regulation and avoidance, with potentially negative health effects. The issue is commonly mitigated through provision of street lighting, but with it comes cost, [...] Read more.
Drivers, particularly with increasing age, cite driving at night as being problematic and feeling unsafe. Ultimately this may result in self-regulation and avoidance, with potentially negative health effects. The issue is commonly mitigated through provision of street lighting, but with it comes cost, environmental impact, and other negative effects. Research has suggested that provision of LED Active Road Studs may be of assistance to drivers at night. However, it is not known how implementation of this measure affects driver confidence, as research to date has focused on observational study of actual driving behaviour. The present work addresses this gap in knowledge using data from 698 respondents to a questionnaire survey of households around a recently treated route. Overall, 72% reported an increase in confidence driving at night, with key reasons cited as increased preview time and reduced glare. A total of 80% of respondents believed the overall safety of the study route had improved. Underlying confidence was found to be lower in females, with confidence increasing with mileage driven. This study is the first to suggest the use of active road studs may increase driver confidence and provide increased travel opportunities, particularly where street lighting is impractical or undesirable in terms of sustainability. Full article
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22 pages, 3309 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Influence of Training and Feedback Based on Event Data Recorder Information to Improve Safety, Operational and Economic Performance of Road Freight Transport in Brazil
by Luid Pereira de Oliveira, Felipe Jiménez Alonso, Marcelino Aurélio Vieira da Silva, Breno Tostes de Gomes Garcia and Diana Mery Messias Lopes
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8139; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12198139 - 02 Oct 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2082
Abstract
Road transport is the principal means of transporting freight and passengers in most developing countries, but several factors, both alone and in conjunction, contribute to increased inefficiency, risk and instability in the sector. The main factors are related to the high number of [...] Read more.
Road transport is the principal means of transporting freight and passengers in most developing countries, but several factors, both alone and in conjunction, contribute to increased inefficiency, risk and instability in the sector. The main factors are related to the high number of accidents, structural precariousness, fleet obsolescence, low-skilled drivers and high rates of greenhouse gas emissions. This paper evaluates the influence of implementing a training and feedback procedure associated with event data recorder (EDR) systems for the promotion of better behavior among professional drivers based on safety, operation and economy criteria. The analyses are based on interventions that were carried out during four monitoring phases using data generated by vehicles collected over 13 months of research. The data were converted into indicators and evaluated individually against the criteria and through data envelopment analysis (DEA). The analyses led to the conclusions that the use of EDR systems had positive impacts on all three of the criteria under analysis, and that safety levels can be increased without having to reduce productivity or increase fuel consumption. However, the safety criterion was more sensitive to the association between the technology and training process applied, leading to significant reductions in the indicators analyzed. The study contributes to the association between the methods of analysis and the adoption of specific indicators derived from time variables, leading to the conclusion that the use of EDR systems associated with management training and monitoring procedures can improve economic and operational results in road freight transport (RFT). Furthermore, using the trip data as a structural basis for the training and feedback proved to be very promising for the reduction of unsafe behavior to avoid road accidents. Full article
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19 pages, 4096 KiB  
Article
Development of Driving Cycle Construction for Hybrid Electric Bus: A Case Study in Zhengzhou, China
by Jiankun Peng, Jiwan Jiang, Fan Ding and Huachun Tan
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 7188; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12177188 - 03 Sep 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2557
Abstract
A driving cycle is important to accomplish an accurate depiction of a vehicle’s driving characteristics as the traction motor’s flexible response to stop and start commands. In this paper, the driving cycle construction of an urban hybrid electric bus (HEB) in Zhengzhou, China [...] Read more.
A driving cycle is important to accomplish an accurate depiction of a vehicle’s driving characteristics as the traction motor’s flexible response to stop and start commands. In this paper, the driving cycle construction of an urban hybrid electric bus (HEB) in Zhengzhou, China is developed in which a measurement system integrating global positioning and inertial navigation function is used to acquire driving data. The collected data are then divided into acceleration, deceleration, uniform, and stop fragments. Meanwhile, the velocity fragments are classified into seven state clusters according to their average velocities. A transfer matrix applied to reveal the transfer relationship of velocity clusters can be obtained with statistical analysis. In the third stage, a three-part construction method of driving cycle is designed. Firstly, according to the theory of Markov chain, all the alternative parts that satisfy the construction’s precondition are selected based on the transfer matrix and Monte Carlo method. The Zhengzhou urban driving cycle (ZZUDC) could be determined by comparing the performance measure (PM) values subsequently. Eventually, the method and the cycle are validated by the high correlation coefficient (0.9972) with original data of ZZUDC than that of the other driving cycle (0.9746) constructed with traditional micro-trip and as well by comparing several statistical characteristics of ZZUDC and seven international cycles. Particularly, with around 20.5 L/100 km fuel and approximately 12.8 kwh/100 km electricity consumption, there is a narrow gap between the energy consumption of ZZUDC and WVUCITY, and their characteristics are similar. Full article
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