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ATRI’s background in safety
and human factors is extensive, ranging from development of
driver recruitment, retention and training programs, to testing
of highly sophisticated physiological systems that measure
driver fatigue. Current research focuses on fatigue management,
driver wellness and work zone safety.
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and Human Factors
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Impacts of New Hours-of-Service
In 2004 ATRI began collecting carrier safety performance
data on a number of metrics designed to measure the
safety impact of the first Hours-of-Service (HOS) rules
change which went into effect January 1, 2004. Carriers
were asked to provide driver safety data for 2003 (under
the old HOS rules) and for 2004 (under the new HOS
rules). A total of 23 carriers participated,
representing over 100,000 drivers. The analysis found
improvements across the metrics studied: total crashes,
preventable crashes, driver injuries and
collision-related injuries. With the second HOS rules
change effective October 2005, ATRI continued its data
collection asking carriers to provide data on driver
safety performance under the new HOS rules. That data,
provided on a quarterly basis, is under analysis now and
results should be available by August 2007.
Industry Involvement: Motor carriers continue to provide
driver safety performance data for the analysis.
Safety and Health Impacts of the New Hours-of-Service
Rules --
one-page summary (PDF)
Click here to request a full hardcopy report |
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Speed and Truck Safety
To
better inform the ongoing discussion on the role of
speed in crashes, ATRI is conducting a multi-phased
research study.
Research components include:
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A
synthesis of existing research on the effect of
speed on truck safety.
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An analysis of the
Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) to
determine the role high speeds play in causing truck
accidents.
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An
online survey of current carrier
speed policies, with an emphasis
on speed governor implementation.
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An
intra-carrier analysis of accident rates when
operating under different speed configurations due
to state speed laws, with an emphasis on the impact
of car-truck speed differentials
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An
assessment of “ideal” truck speeds for maximizing
safety, fuel efficiency, and productivity using
other research components and consultations with
industry experts.
Industry Involvement: Over 300 carriers have
participated in the speed governor survey to date. A
number of carriers are providing company accident
records for intra-carrier analyses.
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Training Impacts on Safety
ATRI is
undertaking a major research initiative aimed at
examining the effect of different driver training
regimen and techniques on safety outcomes. The study
may be the first ever to examine the relationship of
individual training techniques to overall curriculum
success and the first to test the effectiveness of
training program designs against real-world safety
outcomes. ATRI is currently in the process of forming a
technical advisory committee to oversee the research.
Data collection will begin in the early Fall.
Industry Involvement: A Technical Advisory Committee
comprised of motor carriers, driver training
institutions and drivers is being utilized to provide
oversight to the research.
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Employer Notification System
As a
core team member, ATRI has been involved in several
phases of a FMCSA-sponsored study looking at the
benefits and costs of developing and managing a national
online system for registering truck drivers into a
real-time notification system. The “ENS” system would
provide employers with exception-based notices whenever
an issue or event hits a driver’s motor vehicle record.
The ENS research team is now building and testing a beta
version of the system using two states and 4,000
registered drivers. Ultimately the system may
dramatically improve carrier awareness time when safety
issues arise, and lower overall safety costs.
Industry Involvement: Hundreds of carriers have provided
insight and data in the underlying research design, and
the field test underway includes multiple carriers and
approximately 4,000 drivers. |
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Driving Simulator Evaluation
ATRI is
presently engaged in a major initiative designed to
study the effectiveness of driver simulators in reducing
specific driver behaviors that have been linked to
future truck crashes. The research couples the findings
of the highly influential “Predicting Truck Crash
Involvement” study published by ATRI in late 2005 with
an experimental research design utilizing original
simulator scenarios and testing among a sizeable driver
population. ATRI is currently in the process of
designing and coding the simulator scenarios that will
be used in the driver testing component of the project.
Driver testing is anticipated to begin later this year.
Industry Involvement: During the scenario design
process, ATRI is consulting closely with individuals and
companies at the forefront of simulation theory and
technology. Additionally, nearly a dozen carriers are
working with closely with ATRI by providing access to
driver populations, safety data, and simulator
equipment. As this project enters the testing phase,
these carriers will work extensively with ATRI to ensure
a consistent testing environment is established and that
test results are accurately reported. Most importantly,
they will provide grounded feedback on the effectiveness
of these simulator scenarios when integrated into their
existing training and safety programs.
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Traffic Incident Management
TIM Performance Measures Focus States Initiative
Under
contract to FHWA, ATRI is part of a team working with 11
Focus States to identify, collect and analyze Traffic
Incident Management (TIM) Performance Measures. The TIM
performance measures are being used by FHWA and the
states to measure the effectiveness of efforts to clear
the road safely and quickly following a traffic incident
(anything from debris on the roadway to a major accident
causing all lanes to be shut down). The 11 states
involved are California, Washington, Utah, Texas,
Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New York,
Maryland and Connecticut. Participants include
representatives from the respective state Departments of
Transportation and state law enforcement. At the
conclusion of the initiative, it is anticipated that the
TIM performance measures will be promulgated across the
50 states.
Industry Involvement: Depending on the area of the
country, traffic incidents are responsible for anywhere
from 25 to 50% of the congestion and the costs of that
congestion to the trucking industry continue to mount.
FHWA estimates that trucks idling in congestion cost the
industry $7.8 billion in 2004. The series of traffic
incident management studies in which ATRI is involved
are designed to improve highway operations to mitigate
the impact of traffic incidents and ultimately reduce
congestion.
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Traffic Incident Management Self-Assessment
Under contract to FHWA, ATRI conducts an annual analysis
of the Traffic Incident Management Self-Assessments (TIM
SA) completed by the 75 top metropolitan areas. ATRI
originally designed the TIM SA in 2003 as a tool for
state and local TIM program managers and practitioners
to evaluate TIM programs and identify program strengths
and weaknesses in order to prioritize program activities
and initiatives. At a national level the assessments
enable FHWA to evaluate progress in traffic incident
management and to identify national TIM program
initiatives. Since its development, ATRI has been
responsible for the annual analysis of the results,
tracking progress at the state and national levels.
Industry Involvement: Depending on the area of the country,
traffic incidents are responsible for anywhere from 25
to 50% of congestion, and the costs of that congestion
to the trucking industry continue to mount. FHWA
estimates that trucks idling in congestion cost the
industry $7.8 billion in 2004. The series of traffic
incident management studies in which ATRI is involved
are designed to improve highway operations to mitigate
the impact of traffic incidents and ultimately reduce
congestion.
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National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (NTIMC)
ATRI is a Charter Member of the Coalition and leads the
Coalition’s Research Task Force. One of the first
activities ATRI undertook on behalf of the Research Task
Force was to develop a compendium of traffic incident
management research. The
Compendium is continually updated as new research is
identified. To submit research for inclusion in the
Compendium, please contact ATRI at
ATRI@trucking.org.
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Completed Research |
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Current Research
