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Citation
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Staes L, Godfrey J, Flynn J, Spicer M, Saliceto G, Yegidis R. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (USA). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2020. |
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Abstract
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According to the National Transit Database (NTD), there were 4,750 collisions, 16,338 injuries, 98 fatalities (NTD 2018), and $694,493,189 in casualty and liability expenses (NTD 2017) involving transit buses in 2017. These statistics are unfortunately not an anomaly: bus collisions, injuries, and fatalities have followed a general increasing trend over the past decade.
The purpose of this study is to gather the current practices in the use of various onboard technologies by transit agencies to improve safety, with the primary objective of compiling information on whether transit agencies find these technologies to be effective in actual practice. Technologies used to reduce accidents include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Forward collision warning
• Mitigation or automated emergency braking
• Lane departure warning
• Electronic stability control
• Pedestrian and other vulnerable road-user detection
Recognizing that safety does not occur in isolation and that measures to mitigate bus accidents and incidents are not strictly confined to technology applications, the study also focuses on other approaches that have been implemented to address safety hazards. These approaches include bus operator training, vehicle modifications, accident and incident investigations, and other safety-related policies and procedures.
To effectively meet the primary objectives of the study, the synthesis team reviewed rele- vant literature and conducted a survey of 55 transit agencies. The team then performed detailed case example interviews of seven public transit agencies, chosen from the survey respondents according to their responses concerning agency pilots and implementation of onboard collision avoidance technologies to reduce accidents and incidents. |