U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
To produce a report on pedestrian safety that builds on current level of knowledge of pedestrian safety countermeasures by identifying the most effective advanced technology and ITS.
SAFETEA-LU Section(s): 2003(e)
Major topics that will be addressed include automated pedestrian detection and warning systems (infrastructure-based and vehicle-based), road design, and vehicle structural design that could potentially mitigate the crash forces on pedestrians in the event of a crash. The report will also include recommendations on how new technological developments could be incorporated into educational and enforcement efforts and how they could be integrated into national design guidelines developed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
No separate funding is provided.
The report will consist of a comprehensive literature review of current knowledge on pedestrian safety countermeasures. Most of the information needed for the report is currently being developed in ongoing projects that will be completed around March 2007. These projects include: 1) a Tier 2 Exploratory Project: ITS Technologies to Reduce Pedestrian Crashes 2) a Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures Deployment Project, and 3) two ongoing Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects. The Tier 2 project is an exploratory initiative to determine what current technologies exist for pedestrian detection and warning systems and which ones might be able to help reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Its expected completion date is May 2006. The Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures project seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of several infrastructure-based pedestrian countermeasures in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Miami. The SBIR projects are investigating specific vehicle- based and infrastructure-based pedestrian detection technologies that could improve safety. After March 2007, a contractor will synthesize all of the information produced by the projects into the comprehensive pedestrian safety report required by SAFETEA-LU. It will be jointly funded by NHTSA and FHWA. The FHWA Office of Safety Research and Development and the FHWA Resource Center will assist in this effort as well.