An Innovative System for An Innovative System for Novice Driver Accompanying MonitoringNovice Driver Accompanying Monitoring

Tova RosenbloomBar Ilan University

IsraelTova Rosenbloom

tovarosenbloom@gmail.comTel: 972524449998

The road is a very risky place for novice drivers, in particular due to inexperience and poor driving skills (NHTSA, 2011).

Young drivers are seeking more sensations and take more risks in driving than elder drivers (Dunlop & Romer, 2010; Rosenbloom & Wolf, 2002).

Driving skills can be built especially by increased driving and exposure to risks on the road (Li Lin & Fearn, 2003).

The hierarchical model of driving behavior suggested by Keskinen (1996) presents the process of acquisition of driving from the lowest level - ‘vehicle maneuvering’, i.e. controlling the speed, direction and position of the car, through the level of ‘mastering traffic situations’, which means adaptation of behavior to the demands of a traffic situation up to the level of ‘goals and context of driving’, which refers to the purpose and circumstances of driving.

The highest level is called ‘goals for life and skills for living’, which refers to the importance of cars and driving for the drivers’ personal development and to skills for self-control.

•The challenge for novice drivers’ training is to elevate drivers to higher level. This process can be viewed by adopting cognitive concepts referring to processes of learning, automaticity and consolidation.

• Driving has often been identified as an example of behavior that becomes proceduralized or automated with extended practice (Fitts & Posner, 1967; Shiffrin & Schneider, 1977; Moors & De Houwer, 2006).

• The role of automaticity in skilled performance is represented in theories of knowledge representation, problem solving, and manual control (Shiffrin & Schneider, 1977).

Automatic performance has generally been characterized as efficient, unintentional, and unconscious behavior that has become proceduralized through extensive practice (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999; Moors & De Houwer, 2006).

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) rules in many countries are supposed to allow beginning drivers to get their initial driving experience under less risky conditions and to gradually ease them into more complex driving situations (Morrisey, Grabowski, Dee & Campbell , 2006).

The concept of graduated driver licensing (GDL) was introduced in the mid-1970s to address this issue and has since become an increasingly popular approach to cope with the “young driver paradox” (Prato, Toledo, Lotan and Taubma-Ben-Ari, 2010).

• This paradox relates to the contradiction between the poor driving skills of the young drivers on the one hand and to the need for intensive driving for practice on the other hand.

• This reasons that driving experience and skills can mainly be built by increased driving and exposure to risks on the road.

A graduated licensing system generally involves three stages:

(a) the first stage is a supervised learner’s period that lasts for a period of 3 to 6 months;

(b) the learner’s period is followed by an intermediate licensing phase that permits unsupervised driving only in less risky situations; and

(c) finally, a full privileged license is granted when the conditions of the first two stages have been met (Li Lin & Fearn, 2003).

It has been established that graduated licensing systems lead to crash reductions among beginning drivers (Williams, 2007).

The best GDL programs reduced young teen driver fatalities by 19.4% (Morrisey, Grabowski, Dee & Campbell, 2006).

Extended learner periods, nighttime restrictions, and passenger restrictions have contributed to crash reductions. A cost-benefit analysis carried out by Gregersen, Nyberg and Berg (2003) in Sweden showed that the benefits in terms of accident reduction after licensing were 30 times higher than the costs in terms of driving practice accidents.

There are ways to amplify the contribution of the above-mentioned components through stronger regulations and more reliable compliance. With the application of better procedures of monitoring the novice drivers’ actual driving during the GDL period, substantial further reductions in young driver crashes are achievable.

In Israel, a Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDL) has been introduced requiring new drivers to be accompanied by an experienced driver during the first three months after obtaining a driving license. More hours of accompanied driving contribute to more positive perceptions of safe driving and a higher evaluation of traffic violations as risky (Taubman-Ben-Ari & Lotan, 2010).

High level of experience acquired during the supervised period implies lower risk indices in the following month of solo driving (Prato et al., 2010).

As can be concluded, GDL programs are an important step in improving of novice teen driving. Yet, there is a growing recognition that GDL programs are not enough (e. e.g., Li Lin & Fearn, 2003; Williams, 2007).

Goodwin, Wells, Foss & Williams (2006) assert that although GDL programs have reduced the high crash rates for novice drivers, the expected effect of GDL in reducing fatalities of novice drivers is far from satisfactory.

In the period of accompanying, novice drivers are obliged to drive with an experienced driver for a set period or accumulating a number of hours (in Israel it is obligatory to drive for three months with an escort but recently it has been decided to change the rules so that 50 hours all in all will be required).

It is moving to the forefront as the additional step for making a real impact on driving behavior and skills. Various accompanied driver models range from a few hours of accompanied driving for passing the driving test, to a combination of voluntary and minimum requirements for accompanied practice, to a minimum requirement of driving hours before and/or after licensing (Li Lin & Fearn, 2003).

What is lacking today, however, is a means for monitoring the accompanied driving process — to make sure the new driver meets the requirements (number of hours or distance driven) and is accompanied by an approved person.

• However, this number of hours is an official requirement, but in fact novice drivers drive much less than recommended. A recent study found that male novice drivers drive during the accompanied period an average of 15.8 hours (Prato et al., 2010).

• Driving while accompanying is considered as burdensome and therefore irritating for many novice drivers (Shinar, Perlman, Gordon & Elharizi, 2005).

• Many teen drivers feel that parents while accompanying them in driving disturb their feeling of independence and therefore avoid driving together with them (Shinar, Perlman, Gordon & Elharizi, 2005).

• Others try to minimize driving at the period of the GDL in order to avoid the criticism of the adults, considering the risky behavior preferred by teen drivers (Toledo, Musicant & Lotan, 2008).

As a consequence, the GDL rules, although positive in their essence, might miss their initial goal and in many cases may even be harmful because novice drivers, as well as their parents, try to evade fulfilling their duty and simply wait for the required time to pass without driving (in countries that require a period of time of accompanied driving).

In these cases, the novice drivers do not practice the skills and knowledge acquired in the driving lessons. In many countries great efforts have been made to find effective means to ensure that the novice drivers actually drive accompanied by an adult driver a minimum of kilometers or minimum of hours during the GDL period but with no success.

Recently, a solution for this problem has been developed - A monitoring system that offers an appropriate process for controlling the accompanied driving. It can be a key element in ensuring that novice drivers gain more and better experience in order to become safer drivers.

• iSafe company has developed a user-friendly solution with a focus on accompanied driver monitoring.

• The system validates that the “owner” of the data — the novice driver — and the approved experienced driver throughout the driving session, has completed his or her duty in means of the law requirements.

• This is done while collecting data on driver speed, location, distance, type of road along with the road’s speed limit, driving duration and time of driving (i.e. day/night).

The iSafe solution for controlling the GDL rules is purported to raise significantly the effectiveness of GDL rules all over the world.

The ability to ensure that the novice driver complies with the GDL rules and yields the maximum of the benefits of accompanied driving can increase the safety of the teen drivers on roads.

• The system also contains a driving analysis algorithm that may allow the driver to log into the Internet and review the drive. The data collected by the system can be used for a variety of programs with licensing authorities, parents, and insurance companies.

• This system effectively monitors the behavior of new drivers to promote quality driving experience and compliance with GDL and accompanied driving regulations/requirements.

It identifies the driver and his/her designated accompanying driver; monitors and records driving activity including time behind the wheel, direction/ location, distance, speed, type of road along with the road’s speed limit, driving duration and time of driving (i.e. day/night).

• It also contains a driving analysis device that may allow the driver to log into the Internet and review the drive. The information is then analyzed for feedback to the driver and parents/accompanying driver and, where appropriate, to transportation authorities or insurance companies.

• In order to avoid privacy abuse the identification of the novice driver is stored only on the driver’s device and at no point there is no accumulation of identification data to a pool.

The System

Current Programs and Solutions

iSafe’s Solution

• Smartphone device agnostics App• Monitors accompanied driver period• Facial identification

– Driver and approved Escort verification• Measures and records: distance, speed, day/night,

in/out town • Driving behavior analysis

The key to making new drivers better drivers = experience behind the wheelThe key to making new drivers better drivers = experience behind the wheel

DatabaseServer

iSafe Application

Server

iSafeApp

Solution Architecture

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DIPLOMA

Partnerships– Insurance companies – promote through reduction

in insurance benefits– Ministry of Transport– National Road Safety Authority – Research Units

Future Directions

A pilot of 10-20 novice drivers from various countries from all over the world that will practice the accompanied period with iSafe system could contribute to the success of this project.

Join us in making safer drivers!