Application of unmanned aerial vehicles to inspect and inventory interchange assets to mitigate wrong-way entries

Mohammad Jalayer, Michael O’Connell, Huaguo Zhou, Patrick Szary, Subasish Das

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Interchanges are critical elements of freeway and highway systems that provide access to nearby urban, suburban, and rural areas. Since the development of the interstate highway system in the 1950s, crashes associated with driving in the wrong direction on freeways have created a critical issue for transportation agencies. Wrong-way driving (WWD) occurs when a driver, either inadvertently or deliberately, drives in the opposing direction of traffic along a high-speed, physically divided highway or its access ramp.1 Reasons a driver may go in the wrong direction include but are not limited to, driving under the influence of substances such as alcohol or drugs, fatigue, and a confusing geometric roadway design. WWD crashes are known for their tendency of being more severe than other types of freeway crashes, which result in more fatalities due to them being mostly head-on or opposite-direction sideswipe collisions. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database, during 2004 to 2011, an average annual total of 359 people perished in 269 fatal WWD crashes.2 This means that the average number of fatalities per WWD fatal crash was 1.33, as compared to the 1.09 death rate for all other fatal motor vehicle crashes, thus necessitating further evaluation and action.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)37-42
Number of pages6
JournalITE Journal (Institute of Transportation Engineers)
Volume89
Issue number7
StatePublished - Jul 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Automotive Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

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