USDOT releases vehicle-to-pedestrian tech survey results

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released results on a survey on safety technology relating to vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) management.

Technology that falls into this category often involves audio and visual alerts and in-vehicle technology. The department said that while visual alerts are effective, they can distract drivers and pedestrians from other traffic conditions.

This survey took into account a number of different peer-reviewed journals, databases and Internet information sources to identify and categorize actual and potential V2P technology. In the survey, 86 items were identified.

Each piece of technology or potential technological solution was categorized with different criteria, including method of detection, whether it alerted travelers, what kinds of alerts were available, cost, and roadway characteristics and interventions that are integrated into the method. Multiple vehicle types were also taken into consideration, including commercial vehicles, buses, light rail and personal vehicles.

Four automobile manufacturers — Volvo, Nissan, Ford and Toyota— have developed and implemented automatic braking and steering into vehicles. Nissan has the earliest-known marketability estimate, ranging up to a year until it would be widely available. BMW also has implemented cameras to provide a visual plane that would normally be unavailable.

A full spreadsheet of the survey is available from USDOT at  http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001X-F5wlTNseSu7xVei9-ALrd1Fs9tm5ILW0pL-ipAn2UYRwkrJSBd7oxSVqN-bXDTTHr8f...=