Aggressive driving involves deliberate, unsafe driver actions (UDAs) such as driving over the speed limit, following too closely, and unsafe lane changing. Aggressive driving has been recognized as a major contributing factor to freeway crashes in the U.S. In an effort to reduce aggressive driving, the Maryland State Police (MSP) – in collaboration with the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) – embarked on an effort to develop the Aggressive Driving Video And Non-Contact Enforcement (ADVANCE) system. ADVANCE is an integration of state of the practice, off-the-shelf technologies – which include video, speed measurement, distance measurement, and digital imaging – that detects UDAs in the traffic stream and subsequently notifies violators by mail of their UDA. The system is capable of obtaining sharp digital images of vehicle registration numbers, United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) registration numbers, vehicle paths, and UDAs. The system is permanently installed in a vehicle and operated by a trained officer. Field records of violators are saved on computer discs for later processing by an information system in the office. This ADVANCE system is being modified to access motor vehicle records at the roadside to identify the owners of the violating vehicles to whom violation notices are sent by mail. (Author/publisher)
Abstract