Connected Vehicle
Warning Systems
OVERVIEW
UDOT is working to implement a Connected Vehicle Curve Speed Warning system in 20 of the most crash-prone curves in Utah.
The Curve Speed Warning system employs vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication to warn drivers about upcoming curves in the roadway. Roadside equipment is implemented on curves with high curve-related crash rates. These units are aware of the current road condition and sends warning signals via wireless communications technology to connected vehicles (CVs) in order to alert drivers if they are traveling too fast for an upcoming curve and its recommended speed.
BENEFITS OF THE TECHNOLOGY
Safety is the main benefit of the Curve Speed Warning systems. A 2018 UDOT study highlighted and evaluated roadway curves with high numbers of crashes. The study indicated that drivers are more likely to respond and prepare for an upcoming curve if they receive a message directly into their car, intended solely for them. This is believed to reduce the curve-related crashes by 46 % at locations where the technology is implemented.
QUICK FACTS
BY DELIVERING CRITICALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO THE DRIVER THROUGH IN-VEHICLE WARNING SYSTEMS, CURVE-RELATED CRASHES CAN BE REDUCED BY
WHERE THE TECHNOLOGY IS DEPLOYED
UDOT has selected eight locations within the Salt Lake metro area that have a high-frequency of curve-related crashes for initial deployment of the Curve Speed Warning systems. These locations will make the development, testing and deployment activities of this project most efficient. The locations include freeway ramps connecting I-80 Eastbound to I-15 Southbound, I-215 Northbound to S.R. 201 Westbound, and S.R. 201 Eastbound to I-15 Southbound as well as five road curve locations along S.R. 190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
UDOT’s project partner, Panasonic, will develop and deploy this CV application and related tools. This application is a part of UDOT’s Connected Vehicle Data Ecosystem project developed by Panasonic and is being funded with a federal grant. The success of this project will be measured by the effectiveness of the system to communicate with actual curve conditions in a timely manner into a moving vehicle.
