Programs & Labs
Teen driving research featured on Fox 9 News
On February 27, 2006, graduate student Shawn Brovold was featured in a news segment on the Twin Cities' Channel 9 demonstrating the prototype Teen Driver Support System (TDSS) developed by a University of Minnesota research team. Brovold worked with HumanFIRST Program director Nic Ward, Intelligent Vehicles Lab director Craig Shankwitz, and professor Stephen Simon of the Law School to create the in-vehicle device.
According to the report, teen drivers make up only seven percent of the licensed drivers in Minnesota, yet they are involved in 14 percent of vehicle crashes. Statistics like this one motivated the University researchers to develop the experimental device, which is intended to monitor the driving behavior of new drivers as well as to provide feedback that will help them avoid crashes.
The TDSS uses a combination of sensors including high-accuracy Global Positioning System navigation and onboard digital maps to discern the vehicle?s exact location, and compares the vehicle's speed with the legal speed limit. If a driver persistently exceeds the speed limit, the system can send a text message to a parent.
"Studies have shown that teens are less likely to get into accidents when driving with parents," said Brovold, "It's almost like the parent is in the car."
The experimental system can also warn the driver of hazardous road and weather conditions, as well as sudden curves and other road changes that require reduced speed or special attention.
Watch the video online.
Video footage courtesy KMSP FOX 9. Copyright 2006 Fox/UTV Holdings, Inc.