ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) was approved for Phase II funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation to test technologies that help passenger car and commercial truck drivers avoid crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are conducting the initiative, funded as part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration’s (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems Technology program.

UMTRI, along with partners Visteon Corp., Eaton Corp., Honda R & D Americas Inc., Cognex Corp., International Truck and Engine Corp., Con-way Freight, Battelle and the Michigan Department of Transportation, is developing and testing a prototype integrated crash-warning system, the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System.

IVBSS will warn drivers when they are about to leave the roadway, are in danger of colliding with another vehicle while attempting a lane change, or are at risk of colliding with the vehicle ahead. It will use information gathered by inertial, video and radar sensors, plus a global positioning system, to warn drivers of potentially dangerous situations to prevent or lessen the impact of crashes.

IVBSS is a $32.3 million program with $25.2 million in federal funding and $7.1 million in cost share from the partners. The program is divided into two phases. Recently completed Phase I involved IVBSS design and development. Passenger-car and heavy-truck prototypes were completed and tested, verification testing was performed, and the driver-vehicle interface designs completed.

The newly approved Phase II will include a field operational test of the integrated systems in both passenger cars and commercial heavy trucks. A fleet of 16 IVBSS-equipped passenger cars will be tested with more than 100 participants over a one-year period. A fleet of 10 IVBSS-equipped heavy trucks will operate as part of the Con-way Freight fleet over a 10-month period. The RITA Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, acting as the independent evaluator, will objectively evaluate IVBSS system benefits and driver acceptance.

“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to collaborate with government and industry leaders in transportation safety, and appreciate that the U.S. DOT approved the second phase,” said UMTRI researcher Jim Sayer, the project director. “This approval serves as an acknowledgement of just how hard the IVBSS team members have worked thus far to develop truly innovative and effective technologies to help resolve the crash problem we face in the U.S. and abroad. This research further builds upon UMTRI’s strength in naturalistic measurement of the driving process and the development of driver assistance systems.”

“Receiving Phase II funding for a contract of this size, involving the breadth of industrial partners and an unprecedented scope in effort, is a reaffirmation of UMTRI’s position as the premier place to do research on driving safety,” said UMTRI director Peter Sweatman. “We are grateful for the outstanding partners we have on this program, as well as the leadership and dedication provided by the U.S. DOT.”