Visibility of children behind 2010-2013 model year passenger vehicles using glances, mirrors, and backup cameras and parking sensors.
This study identified the areas behind vehicles where younger and older children are not visible and measured the extent to which vehicle technologies improve visibility. Rear visibility of targets simulating the heights of a 12-15-month-old, a 30-36-month-old, and a 60-72-month-old child was assessed in 21 2010-2013 model year passenger vehicles with a backup camera or a backup camera plus parking sensor system. The average blind zone for a 12-15-month-old was twice as large as it was for a 60-72-month-old. Large SUVs had the worst rear visibility and small cars had the best. Increases in rear visibility provided by backup cameras were larger than the non-visible areas detected by parking sensors, but parking sensors detected objects in areas near the rear of the vehicle that were not visible in the camera or other fields of view. Overall, backup cameras and backup cameras plus parking sensors reduced the blind zone by around 90 percent on average and have the potential to prevent backover crashes if drivers use the technology appropriately.
Real-world effects of rear cross-traffic alert on police-reported backing crashes.
OBJECTIVE
Several parking assistance systems are available to help drivers back up. Rear cross-traffic alert warns drivers when they are reversing and cross-traffic approaches the rear of their vehicle, as might happen when backing out of a perpendicular parking space in a lot. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of rear cross-traffic alert on backing crashes.


METHODS
Negative binomial regression was used to compare police-reported backing crash rates in 25 U.S. states per insured vehicle year between General Motors and Mazda vehicles with rear cross-traffic alert and the same vehicle models without the optional system, controlling for the presence of other parking assistance systems and additional factors that may affect crash risk.


RESULTS
Crash involvement rates in backing crashes overall were 22% lower among vehicles with rear cross-traffic alert than among vehicles without the system when averaged between the two manufacturers. Rates were 32% lower among vehicles with the system than without in two-vehicle backing crashes where the vehicles were traveling in perpendicular directions. Both reductions were statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Rearview cameras and rear automatic braking, which are designed to help drivers detect and brake for obstacles directly behind the vehicle, have been shown in previous research to be effective in reducing backing crashes reported to the police. Rear cross-traffic alert can complement these systems by preventing potential backing crashes that other parking assistance systems are not designed to detect. Manufacturers should equip vehicles with rear cross-traffic alert, in addition to other parking assistance systems like rear automatic braking, to maximize the number of backing crashes prevented.
Driver performance evaluation of two rear parking aids
Four levels of parking aids were tested using 32 participants in two age groups with equal numbers of men and women. Levels of parking aid were: no aid, ultrasonic rear park assist (URPA) with an auditory/visual distance to an object interface, a video view to the rear, and a combination of URPA with video view. Using a sport-utility vehicle, eighteen participants between 45 years and 55 years, and 14 participants 60 years and older performed five parking tasks: entering and exiting a parallel space, entering and exiting a perpendicular space, and backing to a trailer hitch. Participants reported higher scores of parking quality and judging distance to other objects with the video system than without. Objective measures including time to park, final position and angle in parking space showed differences based on parking aid system (URPA versus video). Age groups and replication number also showed differences. Total eye glance times to different areas of the vehicle showed differences based on parking aid system. For the covering abstract see ITRD E825082.