U.S. motor carrier experience with forward collision warning systems
Nationwide, United States
Analysis of Benefits and Costs of Forward Collision Warning Systems for the Trucking Industry
Summary Information
The goal of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is to reduce the number and severity of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes. Over the last several years, FMCSA has collaborated with the trucking industry to test, evaluate, and encourage the deployment of several onboard safety systems (OSS). This project builds on previous field operational testing by refocusing benefit-cost assessments from more general societal impacts to more targeted motor-carrier-industry outcomes.
The technology evaluated represented a typical system available on the commercial market designed to provide audible and/or visual warnings to drivers when another vehicle or object is detected within a predefined headway having an unsafe closing rate as determined by on-board computers and a forward-looking Doppler radar system.
The benefit-to-cost analysis evaluated benefits in terms of crash cost avoidance and costs in terms of total technology costs. The data for potential benefits were collected from insurance companies and motor carriers, and represented actual expenses incurred in a CMV crash. The potential benefits were measured against the purchase, installation, and operational costs of the technology used in motor carrier operations. Benefit-to-cost ratios were calculated for different levels of vehicle miles traveled, technology purchase prices, and efficacy rates of 21 and 44 percent as reported by industry sources. Net present values were computed using three and seven percent discount rates applied to future benefits and costs to account for inflation and the time value of money over a five year technology lifetime.
FINDINGS
The results indicated that for every dollar spent, carriers would get more than a dollar back in benefits, ranging from $1.33 to $7.22 based on different vehicle miles traveled (VMT), system efficacy rates (crash prevention rates), and technology purchase prices.