TÜV Rheinland’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) group is now part of the quality control team for the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot project.
The Safety Pilot is a research program to test reliability and safety of innovative technologies that allow vehicles to communicate with each other and traffic lights, work zones and other infrastructure elements to help prevent crashes. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute will deploy the Safety Pilot in Ann Arbor MI using the wireless technology in everyday vehicles in a real-world environment from August 2012 to August 2013. Led by Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., the quality control team will ensure that every aspect of the program--from technology to communications--operates smoothly and safely.
“We will work with about 3,000 cars, trucks and transit vehicles equipped with devices that will alert drivers to road dangers and help them take action to avoid crashes,” said Sebastian Oertel, director of mobility for TÜV Rheinland. “This is a significant research program in its intent and scope, and TÜV Rheinland’s team is pleased to have an opportunity to help make our roads safer.”
The Safety Pilot seeks to understand how different types of motorists respond to safety messages in the real world. It is the second part of a two-part Connected Vehicle research initiative. The first part, Safety Pilot Driver Acceptance Clinics, identified how motorists responded to wireless safety devices in a controlled environment.
The Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot research program collects data to help National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) make a decision about the use of connected vehicle technology that is based on reliable and scientific information. NHTSA’s decision is expected to come in 2013 for light vehicles and in 2014 for heavy vehicles.