# Presentation: 748525

## Dec. 4, 2000

**Dec. 4, 2000**

- Overview of U.S. Crashes & Weather Environment* *

**Louis V. Lombardo **
**Office of Human-Centered Research**
**Research & Development**
**National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**

## How Adverse Weather Contributes to Crashes

**Impairs Visibility**
**Decreases Stability**
**Reduces Controllability**

## How Adverse Weather Contributes to Crashes

**Impaired Visibility:**
- Rain & Splash & Spray
- Fog
- Snow
- Dust Storms
- Glare

## How Adverse Weather Contributes to Crashes

**Decreased Stability:**
- Winds
- Cross Winds on Trucks, Trailers, Vans
- Gusts with Passing Trucks

## Slide 5

## How Adverse Weather Contributes to Crashes

**Reduced Controllability:**
- Slippery Roads (Rain, Snow, Ice)
- Slick Spots (Bridges, Metal Plates, Oil)
- Hydroplaning (Heavy Rain)

## Snow Crash

## Rain Crash

## NHTSA Crash Data

**Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)**
- Census of Fatal Crashes (~37,000 per year)
- Police Accident Reports (~100 data elements)
**National Automotive Sampling System (NASS)**
- Sample of Crashes (~5,000 crashes per year)
- Crashes Investigated (~ 650 data elements)

## NHTSA Crash Data

**FARS  &  NASS:**
**Gold Standard of Crash Data Systems**
**BUT: **
**We lack exposure measures for Weather in terms of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) under adverse weather conditions**

## Weather & Number of Police Reported Crashes (1998) 

- Normal:                    5,329,000  *(84%)*
- Rain:                            827,000  *(13%)*
- Snow/Sleet:                 131,000   *(2%)*
- Fog                                28,000   *(<1%)*
- Other*:                          20,000   *(<1%)*
- Total:                        6,335,000
- * Smog, Smoke, Sand, Dust

## Weather & Percent of People Injured in Crashes  (1998)

## Weather & People Injured (1998) 

- Normal                2,709,000  *(85%)*
- Rain                        420,000  *(13%)*
- Snow/Sleet               41,000   *(1.3%)*
- Fog                           13,000   *(0.4%)*
- Other                          9,000   *(0.3%)*
- Total                    3,192,000

## Weather & Percent of People Killed in Crashes (1998)

## Weather & People Killed (1998) 

- Normal                     36,076  *(87%)*
- Rain                           3,644   *(9%)*
- Snow/Sleet                   691   *(2%)*
- Fog                               719   *(2%)*
- Other                            341   *(<1%)*
- Total                        41,471

## Weather & People Killed (1989-1998) 

- _	__	__	__	__People Killed_
- Normal       362,473    *(87%)*
- Rain             37,649      *(9%) *
- Snow/Sleet    8,976       *(2%)*
- Fog                7,144       *(2%)*

## Adverse Weather & Deaths by Vehicle Type (1989-98) 

_***Involved***__ __**Vehicle**_**  **_**Total Deaths**_**  **_***Adverse***_***    ***_***Percent***_
- Passenger Cars   286,316        *39,622          13.8*
- Light Trucks       170,268        *23,984*         *14.1*
- Large Trucks*      50,877          *8,664*         ***17***
- Motorcycles         25,987            *903*          *3.5*
- Buses*                    3,239           * 576*         ***17.8***
- **Commercial Vehicles Travel More in Adverse Weather*

## Weather & 1998 Estimated Economic Costs of Crashes  

- Normal              $**126** billion *(84%)*
- Rain                      **20**  billion *(13%)*
- Snow/Sleet             **3**  billion *(  2%)*
- Fog                       <**1  **billion** ***(<1%)*
- Other                    <**1**  billion *( <1%)*
**Total**                **$150 billion/year**

## Adverse Weather + Adverse Road Conditions 

- Adverse Weather (Rain, Snow, Fog, etc.)
- Adverse Road Conditions:
-    Roadway Surface (Wet, Snow, Ice)
- Vision Obscured (Splash, Spray, Dust, etc.)

## Adverse Weather + Adverse Road Conditions (1989-1998)  

-                                       _Number_   _Percent_
- Crashes                   12,000,000  *(28%)*
- Injured                      8,000,000  *(25%)*
- Killed                            80,000  *(19%)*

## Adverse Weather + Adverse Road ConditionsEstimated Bottom Lines  

- Crashes:             ~1,200,000/Year
- Injured:                ~ 800,000/Year
- Killed:                     ~ 7,000/Year
- Economic Costs:    ~$42 Billion/Year

## NHTSA’s Efforts to Reduce  Weather Contributions to Crashes

**Federal Standards:**
- Antilock Brakes for Trucks
- Windshield Wiping, Washing & Defrosting
- Vehicle Conspicuity
- Lighting and Signaling
- Tire Information on:
-       Traction, Treadwear & Temperature

## NHTSA Efforts to Reduce  Weather Contributions to Crashes, Deaths & Injuries

**Research:**
- Antilock Brakes for Cars & Trucks
- Truck Splash & Spray Countermeasures
- Truck Conspicuity
- Lighting & Signaling Visibility
- Automatic Crash Notification (ACN)
- Weather & Driver Research on NADS

##    NATIONAL ADVANCED DRIVING SIMULATOR (NADS)

**   ****NATIONAL ADVANCED DRIVING SIMULATOR (NADS)**

## Weather Information for Drivers

***Telematics:***
-    Location-Specific Weather Information via Wireless, Internet, GPS, &
-    Variable Message Signs

## Variable Message Sign Warning

## Weather Information Telematics

- In-Vehicle Information Systems:
- Navigation
- Communications
- Location-based Weather Information Services

## Telematics Market Growth

- In-vehicle Information Systems:
- 1999:   $300 million
- 2003:   $5 billion (projected)

## DOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Weather Programs

- ITS Information Sources:
-  DOT/ITS info:      	  			http://www.its.dot.gov
-  Private Sector info: 				http://www.itsa.org