I-Corps: NAViSection

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

With a goal of reducing motor vehicle collisions and fatalities, this project addresses the issue of managing driving privilege in society. The key strategy is to extend the reach of Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (CDRSs) to meet the needs of people with disabilities, seniors in society, and all individuals with medical-impairments affecting their driving capability. The system developed through this project measures the count and duration of CDRS-assisted driving events (or interventions by a supervisory driving instructor). Results from this project may be used to extend surrogate measures of crash safety into the field of driver rehabilitation via the use of in-vehicle data recorders. The detection and quantification of collision avoidance assistance by a certified driving evaluator presents a new capability to test and validate the operation of collision avoidance technologies in the automotive industry. Applications of driver monitoring technologies from the commercial driving industry to driver training and evaluation presents a potential for driver licensing to be defined across evaluation sites. Through the integration of new vehicle technologies into the standard of practice, barriers of entry to the profession can be mitigated for myriad trained professionals who are eligible to enter the field of driver rehabilitation. Automated report generation to quantify driving capability based on driver monitoring technologies may streamline business processes for current professionals and reduce the tension imposed upon the patient-physician relationship due to mandatory physician reporting laws.