This report describes the results of validation and calibration of motor vehicle crash models for rural intersections. Both the validation and recalibration activities were conducted in pursuit of one overriding research objective, which was to make marginal improvements to an existing set of statistical models for predicting crashes at two and four lane intersections, with the primary intent to be used in the Interactive Highway Safety Design Module (IHSDM). The five types of intersection models for which conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made are: Three-legged stop controlled intersections of two-lane roads; four-legged stop controlled intersections of two-lane roads; three-legged stop controlled intersections with two lanes on minor and four lanes on major road; and four-legged stop controlled intersections with two lanes on minor and four lanes on major road, and signalized intersections of two-lane roads.

This report describes the results of validation and calibration of motor vehicle crash models for rural intesections. Both the validation and recalibration activities were conducted in pursuit of one overriding research objective, which was to make marginal improvements to an existing set of statistical models for predicting crashes at two and four lane intersections, with the primary intent to be used in the Interactiv Highway Safety Design Module (IHSDM).

A national-level safety analysis tool is needed to complement existing analytical tools for assessment of the safety impacts of roadway design alternatives. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has sponsored the development of the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM), which is roadway design and redesign software that estimates the safety effects of alternative designs. Considering the importance of IHSDM in shaping the future of safety-related transportation investment decisions, FHWA justifiably sponsored research with the sole intent of independently validating some of the statistical models and algorithms in IHSDM. Statistical model validation aims to accomplish many important tasks, including (a) assessment of the logical defensibility of proposed models, (b) assessment of the transferability of models over future time periods and across different geographic locations, and (c) identification of areas in which future model improvements should be made. These three activities are reported for five proposed types of rural intersection crash prediction models. The internal validation of the model revealed that the crash models potentially suffer from omitted variables that affect safety, site selection and countermeasure selection bias, poorly measured and surrogate variables, and misspecification of model functional forms. The external validation indicated the inability of models to perform on par with model estimation performance. Recommendations for improving the state of the practice from this research include the systematic conduct of carefully designed before-and-after studies, improvements in data standardization and collection practices, and the development of analytical methods to combine the results of before-and-after studies with cross-sectional studies in a meaningful and useful way.

Transportation Cyber-Physical Systems provides current and future researchers, developers and practitioners with the latest thinking on the emerging interdisciplinary field of Transportation Cyber Physical Systems (TCPS). The book focuses on enhancing efficiency, reducing environmental stress, and meeting societal demands across the continually growing air, water and land transportation needs of both people and goods. Users will find a valuable resource that helps accelerate the research and development of transportation and mobility CPS-driven innovation for the security, reliability and stability of society at-large. The book integrates ideas from Transport and CPS experts and visionaries, consolidating the latest thinking on the topic. As cars, traffic lights and the built environment are becoming connected and augmented with embedded intelligence, it is important to understand how smart ecosystems that encompass hardware, software, and physical components can help sense the changing state of the real world. - Bridges the gap between the transportation, CPS and civil engineering communities - Includes numerous examples of practical applications that show how diverse technologies and topics are integrated in practice - Examines timely, state-of-the-art topics, such as big data analytics, privacy, cybersecurity and smart cities - Shows how TCPS can be developed and deployed, along with its associated challenges - Includes pedagogical aids, such as Illustrations of application scenarios, architecture details, tables describing available methods and tools, chapter objectives, and a glossary - Contains international contributions from academia, government and industry