Not long ago, vehicles were used as a means of transportation so people could perform specific duties and driving behavior was not a consideration. In the today’s technological world, a vehicle can be used for so much more. Since Winter is upon us, it’s a good time to explore how vehicles (both public/private) can be used to transmit data for tracking weather and road conditions. For example, according to Gabriel Guevara, FHWA program transportation specialist, told GCN magazine – “The snowplows that are out and about in the winter, they become roving weather stations.”
This is just one example, but there are several and counting. The bottom line is that contributing to mobile data sharing directly improves driving behavior via the awareness of traffic and hazardous conditions including poor roadways. The purpose of shared data is to find new ways to yield safer roads, safer routing to customer destinations – in turn enhancing response times, customer satisfaction, employee safety and lower maintenance and fuel costs for fleet vehicles.
When we stop to think about it, driver behavior is quite complex. In fact, it’s the second of the two words “Behavior” that is the key. Humans behave behind the wheel in much the same way we would in any other circumstance – yet differently when calm versus under pressure. When driving, we are taken in and out of these pressured moments. We may be calm awaiting a red light to change (in the snow) and then panicked when we attempt to proceed on a green and someone darts across the front of our vehicle because they hit a patch of ice when trying to stop for their red light. How we react is the key and taking advantage of shared technology regarding road conditions and weather better prepare us for hazardous situations.