Testing of Heavy Truck Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Crash Mitigation Systems 2023-01-0010

Modern heavy vehicles may be equipped with an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) designed to increase highway safety. Depending on the vehicle or manufacturer, these systems may detect objects in a driver’s blind spot, provide an alert when the ADAS determines that the vehicle is leaving its lane of travel without the use of a turn signal, or notify the driver when certain road signs are detected. ADASs also include adaptive cruise control, which adjusts the vehicle’s set cruise speed to maintain a safe following distance when a slower vehicle is detected ahead of the truck. In addition, the ADAS may have a Collision Mitigation System (CMS) component that is designed to help drivers respond to roadway situations and reduce the severity of crashes. CMSs typically use radar or a combination of radar and optical technologies to detect objects such as vehicles or pedestrians in the vehicle’s path. If the CMS determines that a collision event is likely, interventions such as audible and visual warnings, partial braking, or automatic full braking may occur.

In this research, a series of controlled tests were conducted using over the road heavy trucks to evaluate the responses of different CMS systems currently available. The testing examined CMSs manufactured by Daimler and Bendix as installed in Freightliner, Kenworth, and International heavy trucks. Individual tests included driving toward both stationary and moving Global Vehicle Targets (GVTs) to trigger a CMS event. This paper summarizes the tests conducted and reviews the responses received from the tested CMSs. In general, there were fewer system responses as closing speed increased, the alignment offset increased, or the angle, relative to the roadway, of the GVT increased.