NHTSA has commissioned five research projects with the aim of advancing the safe deployment of vehicle crash avoidance technologies, including ADAS and automated driving systems—in particular those that respond to specific crash imminent situations. Test consultancy DRI has been awarded more than $5 million to conduct the research.

The five research projects will establish and validate test procedures to better assess the safety performance of vehicles with ADAS and automated driving systems. DRI will conduct crash data analysis and market research to understand real-world operational performance capabilities, limitations and reliability of existing ADAS technologies.

Using this information, the company will identify, parameterize and trial new ADAS test scenarios. It will also collaborate with the industry and standards-setting organizations to explore methods and tools for conducting this testing more efficiently to lessen the burden on manufacturers and test houses.

The ultimate goal of these research projects is to improve road safety by increasing the effectiveness of ADAS testing. By basing new test protocols on real-world crash data it helps to ensure that ADAS technologies are being thoroughly challenged in ways that will directly translate into safer roads. With our unique perspective of conducting ADAS tests daily for OEMs and NHTSA at our California proving ground, as well as the research expertise we have in-house, DRI is well-equipped to develop and trial future test protocols.

—Nadine Wong, DRI Director of Track Testing

The projects will target five specific areas:

• Light vehicle Blind Spot Intervention (BSI) and Lane Change Assist (LCA). DRI will develop and trial a new test matrix to better understand and challenge BSI and LCA technologies. The new protocols, based on real-world crash data analysis, aim to prevent or significantly reduce the severity of the most common crashes in lane-change or merging vehicle scenarios.

• Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) research and variation analysis. The first part of this project will assess Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB) technologies with a focus on intersection scenarios for both pedestrians and other VRUs. The second part will be an analysis of performance sensitivity to variations in the test, such as lighting, weather, pedestrian gait or obstructions. This will provide a better understanding of how systems perform in real-world scenarios.

• Alternative Test Termination Methods. This project aims to understand methods for effectively and safely testing the variety of challenging scenarios that may be encountered for various ADAS testing, such as high speed test runs or large, complex test matrices. DRI will explore ways to step through a large test matrix ensuring comprehensive testing while minimising the test burden that would result from the large variety of test scenarios included. It will also assess alternate methods that prevent test collisions if the ADAS system does not intervene in time, or reduce the severity of damage should a collision be unavoidable. A failed ADAS test can result in considerable damage to the test vehicle or the test equipment, leading to increased costs and significant delays. Methods of mitigation may be predictive programming to abort a collision should the test fail or the use of ultra-lightweight ADAS targets.

• Heavy Vehicle PAEB and BSI. The final two projects cover the research and test development of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle ADAS capability, including PAEB and blind spot warning and intervention systems. The aim is to develop and trial a suite of new test protocols, based on crash data and market research, to thoroughly challenge these technologies. The two contracts will cover interactions with passenger vehicles as well as VRUs, such as pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.

DRI provides testing services at its privately owned test facility near Bakersfield, California. It has been purpose-built for the development and verification of ADAS technologies, including specific lane line markings dictated by the test requirements and a comprehensive range of ADAS testing equipment.