The 5 million Euros INTERSAFE project was a sub-project of the European Union's PReVENT Integrated Project. It dealt with the issue of detection and accident/fatality reduction at intersections and was one of the first successful demonstrations of cooperative safety based on onboard sensors. The project involved the development of intersection driver warning systems and the assessment of an integrated driver safety system based on a driving simulator. BMW, Volkswagen, PSA and Renault took part in the project. Test sites in Germany had intersections equipped with dedicated road markings and cooperative signalling supplied by Signalbau Huber. Laser was used as the primary detection system and a video camera was used to monitor road markings. There were two phases of testing. In the first, experts confirmed that the mix of sensors was suitable for use at intersections. In the second, a pool of 16 drivers drove through the intersections for several hours. The project proved the viability of using sensor packages and infrastructure-to-vehicle communication to improve intersection safety. Issues to be solved prior to the introduction of the system in vehicles are outlined.
Abstract