Projects

Statewide Data Linkage Project:

Connecticut traffic safety partners are working towards a comprehensive data set of crash factors and conditions in an effort to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes. For the past several years, the CTSRC and CTDOT have worked closely with other state agencies to link numerous sources of data (toxicology, injury, judicial, roadway and crash) together into one comprehensive database for crash analysis and injury prevention.

Engineering Projects:

The CTSRC is working to implement the six-step cycle of safety management process defined by the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) which include network screening, diagnosis, countermeasure selection, economic appraisal, project prioritization, and safety effectiveness evaluation. The goal for Connecticut is to create a state-of-the-art transportation safety analysis system and to distinguish Connecticut as a national leader in crash data collection and safety analysis. Since July 2016, the Safety Analysis team has been working on the following:

  • Collecting and assembling data required,
  • Exploring data gaps and challenges,
  • Creating Connecticut roadway intersection inventory and segments following the HSM requirements, and
  • Developing tools which include
    • the MAP-based improved SLOSSS (Suggested List of Surveillance Study Sites) application for network screening,
    • Crash Visualization Tree tool to identify the trending characteristics (e.g., facility type, weather contributor, etc.) of focus crash types, and
    • Collision Diagram application which will be used to automatically generate collision diagrams that are to visually display the accident history at intersections or roadway segments.

Expanding the Role of the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center to Enhance Connecticut’s Safety Analysis Methods and Systems

The Safety Analysis Team is in the second year of this CTDOT and Federal Highway Administrative (FHWA) funded project. The objective is to implement the Safety Techniques Enhancement Plan. The team has developed two useful safety analysis modules – network screening and diagnosis. In the network screening module, users create a wide range of screening scenarios by selecting crash types, severity levels, emphasis areas, facility types, geographical areas, and route numbers. Multiple performance measures and screening methods are offered to meet different needs and validate the results. In the diagnosis module, users are provided with eight different tools, namely the crash map, tabular crash data, summary statistics, test of proportions, viewing supporting documentation, creating collision diagrams, creating crash trees, and viewing site conditions through street views, to help identify crash patterns and contributing factors.

Evaluation of Wet Weather Crash Locations and Conducting Pavement Friction Testing in Selected Locations

This project involved developing a methodology to identify the Statewide highway hot spots related to wet pavement crashes, and to conduct pavement friction testing and provide reports to the CTDOT Pavement Management Unit. The crash analysis method “critical crash rate” was used to identify locations with the higher number of wet pavement related crashes, especially those located at highway curves, and experienced safety issues corresponding to vehicle travelling speed. The surface friction of candidate sites were tested to investigate the relationship between pavement condition and wet pavement related crashes.

Driver Assist Technologies Research

Research study examining driver attention monitoring methods in automated/autonomous vehicles and whether they encourage varying levels of driver engagement and attention. The CTSRC’s Realtime Technologies RDS-2000 Full Cab with Segmented Screen Driving Simulator is used to measure study participant reaction time, lane position, rate of acceleration/ deceleration, and occurrences of a collision and Tobii Pro Glasses 2 will be used to measure gaze and focal points.

Marijuana-Involved Driving Research

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center (CTSRC) are taking the initiative to try and get ahead of the probable legalization of recreational marijuana in Connecticut. Continued research on this topic will allow traffic safety professionals in Connecticut to make a well-informed decision regarding the best practices to detect and combat marijuana-involved driving.

PR-1 Support/Training:

The new MMUCC PR-1 was developed at the CTSRC under the direction of the CT DOT, with assistance of the Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC), and state and local law enforcement. The CTSRC will continue to research and implement future changes needed to the report form. Furthermore, the CTSRC will continue to research any future support documents or software applications to maintain 100% electronic crash reporting. The CTSRC will continue to support and modify the fillable PDF as needed. CTSRC Field Coordinators provide ongoing training to police officers in the understanding of this new MMUCC compliant form, with explanations of new data fields and why date elements requested are important to all data users.

Commercial/Heavy Truck Training for the CT PR-1 (FMCSA):

This continuing training focuses on improving data collected by CT Police Officers in the course of investigating Commercial/Heavy Truck crashes throughout the state. The training consists of a classroom presentation designed to familiarize the officers with what information should be gathered and documented on the CT PR-1.  The class also offers a “hands-on” portion, where the officers are able to interact with large vehicles and observe where to obtain the information needed to complete the CT PR-1. Participants who have successfully completed this training course have earned POSTC Continuing Education credits

UConn will develop technologies to assist officers in collecting timely, accurate, and complete data in the field.

Crash Data Recorder (CDR) Training:

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has awarded the University of Connecticut a grant to assist Law Enforcement with collision investigations. UConn will purchase two complete sets of Bosch EDR tools, including all available cables.  The University will also facilitate the training of sixty officers as Certified CDR Technicians at no cost to the officer’s agency. This equipment and training will allow for the collection of more complete and comprehensive crash data, allowing widespread implementation and access to EDR data, providing a comprehensive snap shot of the vehicle activity throughout the entire crash experience; pre-crash, crash, and post-crash.  By collecting and analyzing the details provided by EDR-equipped vehicles, Law Enforcement have an unprecedented opportunity to increase the understanding of interactions between the vehicle, roadway environment and driver through detailed unbiased information from hundreds of serious and fatal motor vehicle collisions each year.

Crash Fact Books:

CTSRC staff revised the 2014 CT DOT annual report of Connecticut crash statistics to reflect the new Model Minimum Crash Criteria (MMUCC) data being collected in Connecticut crash reports. This book is released each year as a summary of crash statistics and trends for the state.

Crash Data Repository Tutorial Videos:

The Connecticut Crash Data Repository (CTCDR) is a web tool designed to provide access to select crash information collected by state and local police. This data repository enables users to query, analyze and print/export the data for research and informational purposes. The CTSRC is creating tutorial videos to assist users in navigating the Data Query Tool, CAST (Collision Analysis Summary Tables) and Crash Emphasis Dashboards and other features.