The LAARMA project was developed to mitigate safety risks posed by large animals on roads and roadsides due to:
- Vehicle strikes of large animals; and
- Erratic driver responses to being startled by animals on the roadside and taking evasive action to avoid striking the animal.
Animal Vehicle Collisions (AVCs) are associated with substantial costs to individuals, communities, and the environment each year.
In 2004, over a billion dollars of vehicle damage was reported annually in the United States due to crashes involving animals (Rowden, et al., 2008). The human and societal costs of injury, rehabilitation and death cannot be quantified, nor can the effects of AVCs on conservation efforts.
According to the Insurance company AAMI, animal collision report, there were “over 19,000 animal-related collisions reported across Australia in 2022”. The data reveals that kangaroos, wallabies, and wombats are among the most commonly affected species.
Unfortunately, in countries such as Australia, a large number of native and protected species are particularly vulnerable (Rowden, et al., 2008) making it a substantial threat to those ecologies.
The intent of this project was to develop and field test a Large Animal Activated Roadside Monitoring and Alert (LAARMA) System for detecting large animals on the roadside and prompting a “real time” alert to motorists to provide advanced warning of the hazard.
The project evaluated the:
- ability to accurately and reliably detect a number of animals (in the field trial Cassowaries were the target species) on the roadside for distances of 200-300m in all weather and light conditions; and
- the performance of an advanced, real-time variable message in influencing driver behaviour and improving road safety;
The project also developed open-source software for the detection and identification of animals on roadside.
The “performance” of the LAARMA system to influence driver behaviour and improve road safety was evaluated by monitoring speed profile changes, and lane departures. By achieving these goals, the project aims to mitigate road accidents caused by animal-related hazards and promote safer driving environments.