A Synthesis of Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Technology Surveys: What Have We Learned

This report documents and synthesizes several major qualitative survey efforts relating to stakeholder use and perspectives of onboard safety technologies for commercial motor vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) conducted this survey synthesis to identify and analyze gaps in existing survey research for onboard safety technologies.

The synthesis includes an analysis of 19 survey, interview, and focus group instruments. This synthesis provides an understanding of the relationships and factors involved in the use, selection, and impact of onboard safety technologies.

Throughout all the surveys, concerns arose about cost and the desire for information regarding demonstrated safety impacts of onboard safety systems. The survey synthesis findings indicated a need for increased information in reference to the financial implications of any safety technology including insurance costs and crash reduction savings, as well as cost of installation, maintenance, training, and upgrades to any safety system.
The information in this document can be used by motor carriers to learn more about onboard safety systems. Also, researchers used the findings to develop future research opportunities and reduce research redundancy.