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As a part of road safety initiatives, surrogate road safety approaches have gained popularity due to the rapid advancement of video collection and processing technologies. This paper presents an end-to-end software pipeline for processing traffic videos and running a safety analysis based on surrogate safety measures. We developed algorithms and software to determine trajectory movement and phases that, when combined with signal timing data, enable us to perform accurate event detection and categorization in terms of the type of conflict for both pedestrian-vehicle and vehicle-vehicle interactions. Using this information, we introduce a new surrogate safety measure, “severe event,” which is quantified by multiple existing metrics such as time-to-collision (TTC) and post-encroachment time (PET) as recorded in the event, deceleration, and speed. We present an efficient multistage event filtering approach followed by a multi-attribute decision tree algorithm that prunes the extensive set of conflicting interactions to a robust set of severe events. The above pipeline was used to process traffic videos from several intersections in multiple cities to measure and compare pedestrian and vehicle safety. Detailed experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this pipeline.
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Using Video Analytics to Improve Traffic Intersection Safety and Performance
Road safety has always been a crucial priority for municipalities, as vehicle accidents claim lives every day. Recent rapid improvements in video collection and processing technologies enable traffic researchers to identify and alleviate potentially dangerous situations. This paper illustrates cutting-edge methods by which conflict hotspots can be detected in various situations and conditions. Both pedestrian–vehicle and vehicle–vehicle conflict hotspots can be discovered, and we present an original technique for including more information in the graphs with shapes. Conflict hotspot detection, volume hotspot detection, and intersection-service evaluation allow us to understand the safety and performance issues and test countermeasures comprehensively. The selection of appropriate countermeasures is demonstrated by extensive analysis and discussion of two intersections in Gainesville, Florida, USA. Just as important is the evaluation of the efficacy of countermeasures. This paper advocates for selection from a menu of countermeasures at the municipal level, with safety as the top priority. Performance is also considered, and we present a novel concept of a performance–safety trade-off at intersections.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1922782
- PAR ID:
- 10417157
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Vehicles
- Volume:
- 4
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2624-8921
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1288 to 1313
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/vehicles4040068
