Development of Requirement Specifications for Transit Frontal Collision Warning System

The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) initiated the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) Program with the goal of improving safety through the application of advanced technologies. The frontal collision warning function has been identified as one of the key safety improvement measures for the transit vehicle platform of the IVI Program.  Frontal collision, defined as a bus colliding with a vehicle in front of the bus, is a frequent incident in transit bus operations and the cause of property damage, personal injuries, and interruption to bus operations. A team that includes San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), the University of California PATH Program (PATH), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the Gillig Corporation has been selected by the US DOT to develop and validate performance and technical requirement specifications for Frontal Collision Warning Systems (FCWS) for transit buses. Additionally, a group of local transit agencies are participating in the project in an advisory capacity. The project began in January 2000 with a planned duration of two years.