Search

This paper presents experimental results regarding road condition monitoring by machine vision techniques. The system will be further developed by VTT in the European INTERSAFE-2 project, focused on applications at road intersections. Knowing the presence of adverse conditions such as icy or wet roads, important effects can be obtained for intersection safety by means of more effective driver assistance functions. A very good reliability up to 93% has been found for the detection of icy roads, while lower values around 60% have been measured in the case of wet surfaces, due to a higher sensitivity to environmental conditions, especially outdoor light. Future steps will include an advanced classification algorithm and the implementation of active lighting. Integration of the vision equipment into a cooperative system for intersection safety is being investigated.

Motorcyclists and moped drivers are road users with a particularly high accident risk since motorcycle accidents are severe in nature, due to the relative minor protection of motorcyclists. Furthermore, today the field of driver assistance systems is mostly dedicated to the passenger vehicle and heavy goods vehicle sector. Driver assistance systems for Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs), which rely on onboard vehicle sensors, have not been not considered so far. In this paper we present first results of the European funded Marie Curie research project MYMOSA and especially the Integrated Safety work within its work plan. The objective of the Integrated Safety work package is the development of an integrated safety system capable to detect impending dangerous situations and accident scenarios. As a consequence of the proposed activities in these projects a long-term reduction of at least 20% of injuries and fatalities of motorcyclists is foreseen.