This report is a follow-up evaluation of the Following-Too-Closely Monitor (FTC), a five by eight foot traffic sign and logic system that calculates vehicular time gap and presents a message to the following motorist if the time gap is improper. In an earlier evaluation which utilized four years of accident data (three before and one after), the affectable accident data for the test section fluctuated so widely that it was not possible to quantify the FTC effect. In the present study, six years of accident data (four before and two after) were analyzed. The overall results from both evaluations indicate that the FTC system has a significant positive effect on traffic time gap and may have some benefit in accident reduction. However, data are not plentiful enough to be sure of any accident benefit. /Author/.
Abstract