Development and Assessment of a Connected Vehicle Training Program for Truck Drivers

Self Cite

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) selected Wyoming as one of three sites to develop, test, and deploy a suite of connected vehicle (CV) applications on a 402-mi Interstate 80 corridor. One of the Wyoming’s key CV applications is the variable speed limit (VSL) warning, which aimed to provide commercial truck drivers with real-time regulatory and advisory speed limits to help in better managing speeds under adverse weather conditions, and reducing potential speed variances that may cause traffic collisions. This paper developed a driving simulator testbed to assess the impact of the Wyoming’s CV-based VSL (CV-VSL) application on truck drivers’ behavior under adverse weather conditions. A total of 18 professional truck drivers were recruited to participate in the driving simulator experiment. Participants’ instantaneous speeds at various locations were collected to reveal the impact of the CV-VSL warnings on their driving behavior. Simulation results showed that when the advisory speed limits were lower than 55 mph, participants generally followed the VSLs displayed on the CV human–machine interface (HMI). In addition, traffic flows utilizing CV-VSL technology tend to exhibit lower average speeds and speed variances compared with baseline scenarios. These effects of CV-VSL warnings can bring potential safety benefits, as reduction in average speeds and speed variances are effective surrogate measures of safety, that is, lower risk of crashes, under adverse weather conditions.

Section: Development Of Driving Simulator Testbedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Variable Speed Limit in a Connected Vehicle Environment on Truck Driver Behavior under Adverse Weather Conditions: Driving Simulator Study

Yang

Ahmed

Gaweesh

2019

Self Cite

“…This is in accordance with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)’s guidelines recommending the use of standard and easily recognizable signs, particularly those from the MUTCD for in-vehicle warning purposes ( 17 ). It is noteworthy that earlier research showed that professional truck drivers participating in the pilot’s education and training activities perceived the warnings as easy to understand ( 13 , 18 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Evaluating the Effects of Connected Vehicle Weather and Work Zone Warnings on Truck Drivers’ Workload and Distraction using Eye Glance Behavior

Raddaoui

Ahmed

2020

This study acts in support of the Wyoming Department of Transport (WYDOT) connected vehicle pilot efforts in the deployment of effective, safe, and user-centered connected vehicle (CV) applications and human machine interface (HMI) displays. This study sought to quantify the workload demands and distraction introduced by the pilot’s spot weather impact warning (SWIW) and work zone warning (WZW) applications on professional truck drivers. Using driving simulator experimentation and eye-tracking technology, the effects of exposure to the CV warnings on the participants’ glance behavior were quantified. The study revealed that the weather notifications did not invoke any notable workload or distraction to the participants. Conversely, the WZWs deteriorated the participants’ roadway scanning behavior and brought about prolonged off-road glances, and therefore could carry adverse safety impacts to drivers in real-life conditions. This was largely attributed to the fact that, unlike the weather notifications, the WZW application appeared to have over-communicated information to the participants during a short time window and under difficult driving conditions and resulted in a relatively cluttered HMI. In light of these findings, WYDOT, the leading pilot stakeholder, is amending the design of the WZW application in such a way that message flow rate is reduced and only necessary information is displayed. All in all, the methodology applied in this study was effective in uncovering the overall effects of exposure to CV warnings and therefore could be useful for evaluating workload and distraction in the context of emergent advanced driver assistance systems.

“…Several studies have shown the significant benefits of CV technology in enhancing the traffic safety of drivers (28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34). A study showed that traffic safety could be increased by providing the appropriate driving speed using CV technology (35).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The E-training module included information about, followed by questions about, the introduction of CV technology and the Wyoming CV Pilot, different components of the CV system, the suite of the CV applications and notifications, and appropriate behaviors of drivers in response to notifications and warnings. This E-training module was an extension to the previously developed CV training program for truck drivers (28), but was modified to best suit the highway patrol troopers.…”

Section: E-training Modulementioning

confidence: 99%

Connected Vehicle Training Framework and Lessons Learned to Improve Safety of Highway Patrol Troopers

Subedi

Gaweesh

Yang

et al. 2020

Self Cite

The Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) investigates more than 7,000 vehicle crashes yearly, often as first-hand responders. They often drive at high speeds through difficult road/weather conditions and under enormous secondary workloads, leading to an increased risk of crash. Connected vehicle (CV) technology can communicate timely road and traveler information messages (TIMs) to troopers, which could significantly reduce the frequency, severity, or both, of these crashes. The majority of the troopers, however, might not be familiar with driving a CV. This paper developed a “first responder-specific” training program on safe interaction with the technology and an in-depth assessment of how these new technologies are perceived by the troopers. The training program contains an E-training module and a hands-on driving simulator training module. The E-training presents concept of various CV warnings and notifications, including forward collision warning (FCW), spot weather warnings, work zone warnings, and other TIMs. Two scenarios were developed to familiarize troopers to simulated driving, two single-alert scenarios to help mastering the two most important warnings (FCW and variable speed limit), and two multiple-alert scenarios to train the troopers to drive in a comprehensive connected environment. A quiz section in the E-training module and comprehensive pre- and post-training questionnaire surveys were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed CV training program. According to the trainees from the WHP, the driving simulator provided impressively realistic real-life-like scenarios for the troopers to practice the CV warnings they learned during the E-training.