Bayesian Networks for the Driver Overtaking Assistance System on Two-lane Roads

Abstract

Unsuccessful overtaking maneuvers on two-lane rural roads are one of the major causes of road accidents in the 21st century. The complexity of this maneuver merits the adoption of a thorough method for developing a proposed assistance system to prevent accidents and consequently reduce the high number of fatalities and the associated economic costs. This study aims to introduce an intelligent Driver Overtaking Assistance System (DOAS) to assist drivers in performing overtaking maneuvers safely. The study also will introduce a method to assess the impact of all the influential variables related to the driver, vehicle, traffic, road, and the surrounding environment. In momentary driving situations, the DOAS uses the communicated information via Hello beacon messages (HBM) and a set of input sensors to measure the possibility of overtaking the preceding vehicle(s) proactively by considering whether the distance gap to the oncoming vehicle is sufficient for overtaking. Besides, the proposed system is a vehicle-based safety system based on the collection of contextual information from the driving vicinity to acquire all relevant information regarding the ambient driving environment and the vehicles involved in the overtaking. To do this, DOAS uses a Bayesian Network (BN) to model overtaking maneuvers. The work presented shows high accuracy and promising results in aiding safe overtaking, with significant improvements to overtaking maneuvers on two-lane rural roads.