Optimized traffic control with benchmarked road weather data

Within section control systems on motorways, road weather data are used in order to improve traffic safety during adverse weather conditions. Variable message signs (VMS) are displayed to warn road users of various conditions including slippery road surfaces or fog. However, the quality of acquired road weather data and traffic control measures is not checked on a regular basis, if at all. Within the German Test Site for Road Weather Stations [5], plausibility checks were developed, tested and improved by a German working group. These plausibility checks can be used to detect erroneous measurements and thus improve the quality of traffic control measures. If the speed limits and warnings displayed via VMS correspond to the prevailing traffic and weather situation, the acceptance by the road users will be high. Therefore the input data must be of a high quality. The plausibility checks for road weather data are published within a German Technical Bulletin [4]. In order to maximize benefits from these plausibility checks, operators and traffic engineers must decide how to interpret and react to the results of the checks. Facilitating and improving this decision are the goals of this paper.