Watch Out! Why do crashes so often occur at intersections?
A complex research project analyzes accident data — and holds out the prospect of help.

 It’s a sunny spring day on a peaceful suburban street. The traffic is rolling along smoothly, and test driver number 7 is enjoying the ride behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. A puff of wind catches the blossoms in the trees above a group of pedestrians on the sidewalk opposite. Without warning, a small car appears from a side street and starts to cross the road. There’s a moment of panic followed by the squeal of brakes and then the sickening crunch of metal on metal. Weak at the knees and bathed in sweat, test driver number 7 climbs out of the cockpit.

Enlarge   Accident occurrence according to cause (statistics for 2006) As data from the German Federal Statistical Office shows, a remarkable number of accidents involving personal injury occur at intersections and junctions. Altogether, about 80 percent of such accidents take place in urban areas.

Thankfully, the scene has not really taken place out on the road but rather in a driving simulator at Daimler’s high-tech Virtual Reality Lab in Berlin. By analyzing actual road traffic accidents, researchers hope to identify the human causes behind certain types of accidents and to determine whether the use of innovative driver-assist systems can prevent or at least mitigate the impact of such collisions.

The project draws on know-how from many areas of the Daimler Group, but one of the principal roles is played by the Human Factors team at the Daimler location in Böblingen. Led by Peter Frank, this research unit focuses on such disciplines as quantitative ergonomics and cognitive science. Frank’s team evaluates the results from the Berlin driving simulator to see how and when test persons reacted in a critical situation and how they could have avoided a collision or lessened its impact. The technological input, meanwhile, comes from Helmut Schittenhelm, who designs integrated safety systems in the neighboring research department for Driver-Assist and Safety Systems. Naturally, the project also benefits from the practical and forensic expertise of Daimler Accident Research.