Towards highway design readiness for vehicle automation: a 3D risk assessment approach using reliability theory
department or school: Applied Science, Faculty of
department or school: Civil Engineering, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Liu, Youjia
issued: 2025-10-16T23:15:25Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Master of Applied Science - MASc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Empirical quantification of how autonomous driving will affect road safety, particularly whether current road designs can accommodate autonomous vehicles (AV), remains under-researched. This research addresses the gap by proposing a three-dimensional (3D) risk assessment framework that integrates reliability theory and mobile Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scans, focusing on how sight distance limitations interact with vehicle autonomy. Using data from 308 curves along a rural highway in British Columbia, Canada, the framework was applied in three phases. First, a voxel-based 3D LiDAR method was developed to estimate available sight distance (ASD) in complex terrain, with results compared against traditional two-dimensional (2D) methods. Second, three vehicle types were defined to represent different automation levels, including human-driven vehicles (HDV), transition-stage AVs, and fully developed AVs, followed by a reliability-based risk assessment comparing ASD with stopping sight distance (SSD) required by these vehicles. The resulting probability of non-compliance (Pnc) served as a quantitative measure of design risk from insufficient sight distance. Finally, sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore how operational parameters and sensor configurations influence highway design risk levels. The research found that the 3D method provided a more accurate, location-sensitive evaluation of ASD, while the 2D method often overestimated sight distance, especially on combined horizontal and vertical curves. The 3D-based risk assessment indicated an overall reduction in risk with increasing automation, although some cases showed higher risk for fully developed AVs. Segment- and curve-level analyses showed that fully developed AVs face higher risks on sharp curves with limited visibility due to assumptions of strict speed compliance and comfort-based braking rates. Sensitivity analysis showed that increasing deceleration rates can substantially reduce AV risks, …
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/92649
note: TOWARDS HIGHWAY DESIGN READINESS FOR VEHICLE AUTOMATION: A 3D RISK ASSESSMENT APPROACH USING RELIABILITY THEORY by Youjia Liu B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, McMaster University, 2021 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF APPLIED SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Civil Engineering) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2025 © Youjia Liu, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: Towards Highway Design Readiness for Vehicle Automation: A 3D Risk Assessment Approach using Reliability Theory submitted by Youjia Liu in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering Examining Committee: Dr. Tarek Sayed, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, UBC Supervisor Dr. Suliman Gargoum, Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, UBC Co-supervisor iii Abstract Empirical quantification of how autonomous driving will affect road safety, particularly whether current road designs can accommodate autonomous vehicles (AV), remains under-researched. This research addresses the gap by proposing a three-dimensional (3D) risk assessment framework that integrates reliability theory and mobile Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scans, focusing on how sight distance limitations interact with vehicle autonomy. Using data from 308 curves along a rural highway in British Columbia, Canada, the framework was applied in three phases. First, a voxel-based 3D LiDAR method was developed to estimate available sight distance (ASD) in complex terrain, with results compared against traditional two-dimensional (2D) methods. Second, three vehicle types were defined to represent different automation levels, including human-driven vehicles (HDV), transition-stage AVs, and fully developed AVs, followed by a reliabilit…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0450477
language: eng
degree discipline: Civil Engineering
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Sayed, Tarek, 1965-
contributor: Gargoum, Suliman
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/92649