Collision mitigation and vehicle transportation safety using integrated vehicle dynamics control systems

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of vehicle dynamics control systems （VDCS） on both the collision of the vehicle body and the kinematic behaviour of the ve- hicle＇s occupant in case of offset frontal vehicle-to-vehicle collision. A unique 6-degree-of- freedom （6-DOF） vehicle dynamics/crash mathematical model and a simplified lumped mass occupant model are developed. The first model is used to define the vehicle body crash parameters and it integrates a vehicle dynamics model with a vehicle front-end structure model. The second model aims to predict the effect of VDCS on the kinematics of the occupant. It is shown from the numerical simulations that the vehicle dynamics/crash response and occupant behaviour can be captured and analysed quickly and accurately. Yurthermore, it is shown that the VDCS can affect the crash characteristics positively and the occupant behaviour is improved.

Safety effects of work zone advisory systems under the intelligent connected vehicle environment:a microsimulation approach

Purpose–This study aims to investigate the safety effects of work zone advisory systems.The traditional system includes a dynamic message sign(DMS),whereas the advanced system includes an in-vehicle work zone warning application under the connected vehicle(CV)environment.Design/methodology/approach–A comparative analysis was conducted based on the microsimulation experiments.Findings–The results indicate that the CV-based warning system outperforms the DMS.From this study,the optimal distances of placing a DMS varies according to different traffic conditions.Nevertheless,negative influence of excessive distance DMS placed from the work zone would be more obvious when there is heavier traffic volume.Thus,it is recommended that the optimal distance DMS placed from the work zone should be shortened if there is a traffic congestion.It was also revealed that higher market penetration rate of CVs will lead to safer network under good traffic conditions.Research limitations/implications–Because this study used only microsimulation,the results do not reflect the real-world drivers’reactions to DMS and CV warning messages.A series of driving simulator experiments need to be conducted to capture the real driving behaviors so as to investigate the unresolved-related issues.Human machine interface needs be used to simulate the process of in-vehicle warning information delivery.The validation of the simulation model was not conducted because of the data limitation.Practical implications–It suggests for the optimal DMS placement for improving the overall efficiency and safety under the CV environment.Originality/value–A traffic network evaluation method considering both efficiency and safety is proposed by applying traffic simulation.