Empirical Analysis of Safe Distance Calculation by the Stereoscopic Capturing and Processing of Images Through the Tailigator System

Driver disregard for the minimum safety distance increases the probability of rear-end
collisions. In order to contribute to active safety on the road, we propose in this work a low-cost
Forward Collision Warning system that captures and processes images. Using cameras located in the
rear section of a leading vehicle, this system serves the purpose of discouraging tailgating behavior
from the vehicle driving behind. We perform in this paper the pertinent field tests to assess system
performance, focusing on the calculated distance from the processing of images and the error margins
in a straight line, as well as in a curve. Based on the evaluation results, the current version of the
Tailigator can be used at speeds up to 50 km per hour without any restrictions. The measurements
showed similar characteristics both on the straight line and in the curve. At close distances, between
3 and 5 m, the values deviated from the real value. At average distances, around 10 to 15 m,
the Tailigator achieved the best results. From distances higher than 20 m, the deviations increased
steadily with the distance. We contribute to the state of the art with an innovative low-cost system to
identify tailgating behavior and raise awareness, which works independently of the rear vehicle’s
communication capabilities or equipment.