TÜV Rheinland joins DOT safety pilot

   TÜV Rheinland’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) group has joined the quality control team for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot project.
   The pilot is a program that tests the reliability and safety of new technologies to allow vehicles to communicate with each other, traffic lights, work zones, and other pieces of infrastructure and operations that may help prevent crashes. The tests also measure how motorists respond to various safety messages, initially focusing on wireless safety devices in a controlled environment.
   The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute will launch the Safety Pilot in Ann Arbor, Mich., using the technology in real-world tests from August 2012 to August 2013. The quality control team, led by Booz Allen Hamilton, will work to ensure the technology operates safely and smoothly.
   “We will work with about 3,000 cars, trucks and transit vehicles equipped with devices that will alert drivers to road dangers and help them take action to avoid crashes,” said Sebastian Oertel, director of mobility for TÜV Rheinland. 
   The safety pilot research program collects data to help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) make decisions and recommendations about the use of connected vehicle technology. NHTSA is expected to make a decision for light vehicles in 2013, followed by a decision for heavy vehicles in 2014.