Study throws new light on road safety

Road safety could be improved and environmental costs reduced using a system of powered active ‘cats eye’ road studs at road safety blackspots, according to a new Australian report on recent European research.

The ‘active’ studs are similar to the commonly used cats eye, but do not rely on reflected light from oncoming vehicles. Instead they are powered either by a hardwired source or by solar power.

UK-based Astucia, which manufactures and supplies active studs, investigated the effect they had on driver behaviour through a series of simulator driving tests. Astucia’s Australian arm Astucia (Aust) asked respected traffic engineering researcher Alan Drummond to review the results to determine their relevance to Australian roads.

“From the report we commissioned here in Australia there is no doubting that a targeted approach by authorities using a system of active road studs could not only decrease the road toll, but could also reduce the economic and environmental cost of street lighting,” said Astucia (Aust) Director Peter Doupé.

“Road safety authorities are now taking a keen interest in the technology. It has multiple benefits and, with the cost of a single road fatality estimated at $1.5 million, a strong economic attraction,” said Mr Doupé

The Drummond review is provided below.

TRL Report – Strategic Comments by Drummond Research PTY Ltd.

Report title:         Driver Behaviour In Response To Actively Illuminated Road Studs:  
                          A Simulator Study.  TRL Reference:  UPR/T/031/06

Astucia commissioned UK-based TRL to conduct a driving simulator-based study to assess essentially the driving benefits of active studs relative to passive studs on a type of rural road.

TRL used a driver simulator to assess the road safety value of active road studs against passive studs (cats eyes) and no studs.

Victorian company Drummond Research has evaluated the TRL report for the Australian environment in this document.

• ·Better delineation from active studs does NOT increase travel speed when compared to the use of passive studs.  This result is independent of driver age group. 
• Travel speed was lower (by about 5km/h) in the absence of any form of stud (as you would expect, given the absence of any form of delineation aiding).
• Older drivers spent significantly more time on the correct side of the road (i.e. significantly less time with the right edge of their vehicle across the road’s centreline) in the presence of active studs.
• Cornering behaviour (right hand curves) demonstrated a significant benefit from active studs over passive studs.  Drivers had a larger lateral displacement from the centreline (i.e. further away from oncoming traffic) with active studs present, an effect that was largest for older drivers
• Drivers responded very positively to active studs; they reported that the presence of active studs made the (simulated) driving experience feel safer, more comfortable and that they were more confident (approaching daytime levels) and in control. 

Active studs enhanced the value of road markings.

The report’s conclusion was that active studs offer a significant safety advantage[1] over passive studs (through improved (right hand) cornering without increasing travel speed. 

Driver assessment seemed much stronger and more positive than behavioural effects.

In summary, some ‘positive’ effects on driving performance, and no ‘negative’ effects, in the presence of active studs were demonstrated. Although performance improvements were modest, drivers had a more positive psychological response to active studs.

· It is easier and safer to drive when drivers can really see where they are going.  It is more difficult and less safe to drive when drivers can only see what their headlights illuminate.  The degraded visual environment is a partial contributor to the elevated risk of crashing for all drivers[2].

• Why should drivers be limited to driving within a ‘light envelope’ of 100 metres when this can be extended to around 900 metres?
• Why should drivers tolerate this limited 100 metres being further reduced in adverse weather conditions?
• Improvements in vehicle headlight technology will never approach the illumination benefits derived from active studs. 

You cannot solve nighttime delineation issues in other ways.  Alternatives in vehicle and road engineering, enforcement or driver education do not measure up.

• Beyond the TRL study, there is evidence that drivers do take advantage of the benefits of active studs.

• Drivers will use the additional visibility when it is available.
• Drivers will use the additional illuminated distances when it is available.
• Drivers will use the additional preview time when it is available.

Road authorities deploy passive studs, use line markings and install a range of traffic control devices in order to make the driving task easier/simpler/more obvious for drivers.  Simplification of the task is done to reduce driver error; a decrease in error produces an increase in safety.

Exactly the same logic can be used to support the deployment of active studs on the basis of effectiveness.  The issue of cost-effectiveness should be addressed through careful selection of deployment sites.

• The installation of active studs makes driving easier for all drivers!

• They steer their vehicle more accurately
• They drive further from the midline, away from oncoming traffic
• They drive on the wrong side of the road less often
• They drive no faster than in the normal condition of passive studs.

Thus, increased ease of driving task is associated with reduced driving errors in the direct areas measured in the study. 

The logical extension is an improvement in safety.

• Retro-fitting of active studs can and should be highly targeted. 

• Appropriate integration of active studs with blackspot treatment programs could be considered.  Cost increases would generally be marginal, while treatment effects would be magnified. 
• Prescriptive protocols for identifying particular locations where drivers will benefit most from the implementation of active studs must be developed. 
• Similarly, deployment of active studs should be ‘recommended’ as part of the feature set for new road construction. 

          Why construct a 21^st century road and equip it with outdated delineation devices?

Environmental benefits

Even for urban areas (including urban freeways), a 10% reduction in overhead lighting, is more than compensated for through (selective) deployment of active studs, can be construed as a win-win environmental outcome.

Other possible operational areas

• As noted previously, enhanced ease of operation due to active studs need not be limited to road traffic situations.

• What about implementation in car parks, ambulance bays, shopping centres, Federation Square, office block forecourts, airports, etc.
•  There is an enormous focus currently on greenhouse gases, global warming, and renewable energy technologies. 

There is no reason why active studs cannot be presented as a solution – other than along public roads, where else can you replace electric lights with environmentally friendly active studs?