Safety Benefits of Stability Control Systems for Tractor–Semitrailers Estimated with Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation

Abstract

This research estimated the safety benefits of electronic stability control systems for tractor–semitrailers by using hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) simulation. The HiL system used in this study consisted of a pneumatic tractor–semitrailer braking system and a truck simulation engine, TruckSim. Additionally, the Bendix electronic stability control system was integrated with the HiL system for the evaluation. The study evaluated the performance of the stability control system by using the HiL platform for a portion of the rollover and loss-of-control crashes selected from the database of the Large Truck Crash Causation Study. Subsequently, the evaluated performance was combined with the effectiveness rated by the expert panel at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to calculate the total crash prevention ratios. Finally, this study estimated crash reductions and cost benefits. It provides lessons learned to researchers and practitioners through the course of evaluation procedures.