Onboard Safety System Deployment Research: Synthesis of Research on Costs, Benefits, and User Requirements Associated with Motor Carrier Safety Technologies.

This report consolidates and synthesizes the findings from six onboard safety systems (OSS) reports that were sponsored and managed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) and/or the University of MichiganTransportation Research Institute (UMTRI). The research studies primarily focused on three types of OSS, including: forward collision warning systems; lane departure warning systems and roll stability control systems. The OSS studies covered the continuum of testing and evaluation through adoption and utilization, with an emphasis on empirical benefit-cost assessments and qualitative user issues and requirements. Finally, naturalistic field-testing research designs were developed in response to system and efficacy data gaps. Report findings suggest that, although there have been documented crash reduction benefits and cost-savings related to the investment in OSS, small carriers are lagging in the deployment process and all motor carriers in general would prefer to have more robust operational and impact data. Various factors were identified that influence a carriers decision to invest in the products, which primarily consisted of the need for replicable safety statistics, short-term return on investment and insurance discounts or tax credits for OSS investment. Finally the research documents discrete differences in adoption rates and user requirements based on operating sectors and fleet sizes.