Snowplow Driver Assist System Implementation Pilot Program System helps in low visibility conditions Need Snowplow operators often maintain Minnesota roads in the worst weather conditions, working to ensure safe travel for emergency services, motorists, and freight and transit communities. Heavy snow, blowing snow and fog often cause visibility to drop to near zero, creating problematic and even dangerous conditions for road maintenance tasks. To lessen the effects of these issues, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, University of Minnesota and local government agencies in the state developed the Driver Assist System over a period. The DAS allows for safe plowing in zero visibility by projecting an image of the road and any road obstacles (e.g., guardrail, jersey barriers, stopped vehicles) in front of the operator on a monitor inside the cab of the plow. The system vibrates the operator's seat as a warning if the plow veers too close to the roadway's centerline or fog line (edge). The system also has a feature that allows the operator to disarm or deactivate this warning feature to clear snow from the shoulder without continuously receiving a fog line crossing warning. Since 1998, DAS technology has been tried and continues to be used in several areas. It has proven its effectiveness in areas with chronic poor visibility as well as on snow-covered roads where lane markings are obscured. The system requires precise road network data to function correctly and reliably; the most critical data is the accurate location of the road centerline. The centerline is especially important on two-lane roads since maintaining safe operating conditions is challenging with oncoming traffic. Figure caption (include alt text in image)
Snowplow Driver Assist System Implementation Pilot Program System helps in low visibility conditions Need Snowplow operators often maintain Minnesota roads in the worst weather conditions, working to ensure safe travel for emergency services, motorists, and freight and transit communities. Heavy snow, blowing snow and fog often cause visibility to drop to near zero, creating problematic and even dangerous conditions for road maintenance tasks. To lessen the effects of these issues, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, University of Minnesota and local government agencies in the state developed the Driver Assist System over a period. The DAS allows for safe plowing in zero visibility by projecting an image of the road and any road obstacles (e.g., guardrail, jersey barriers, stopped vehicles) in front of the operator on a monitor inside the cab of the plow. The system vibrates the operator's seat as a warning if the plow veers too close to the roadway's centerline or fog line (edge). The system also has a feature that allows the operator to disarm or deactivate this warning feature to clear snow from the shoulder without continuously receiving a fog line crossing warning. Since 1998, DAS technology has been tried and continues to be used in several areas. It has proven its effectiveness in areas with chronic poor visibility as well as on snow-covered roads where lane markings are obscured. The system requires precise road network data to function correctly and reliably; the most critical data is the accurate location of the road centerline. The centerline is especially important on two-lane roads since maintaining safe operating conditions is challenging with oncoming traffic. Figure caption (include alt text in image)
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