Mapping Sudden Stops in Order to Decrease Stop and Go Driving (aka Location Based Clustering of Sudden Stop Driving Behavior)
Coaster™, the Smooth Driver Monitoring App is useful for changing driver behavior on routes that a driver frequents, such as daily commutes or delivery routes. Coaster monitors driving for sudden stops, logs the position of those sudden stops, and displays them on a map as markers. Over time, there may be clusters of sudden stops at certain locations. The sudden stop history is displayed while driving and where there are stop clusters, this display enables and encourages drivers to change behavior and instead “coast” through those areas where frequent sudden stops occur.
Usage
In order for the app to provide any value, you must drive your repeat routes and let it monitor driving in order to build up a history of clusters of sudden stops, if any. Most drivers will remain on the default monitoring and map screen. This screen displays the driver’s current location on a map, monitors driving for sudden stops, and displays prior sudden stop markers and clusters. Occasionally, the driver may change the stop detection sensitivity or clear the sudden stop history. This app should be “boring” most of the time. If so, you are a “Smooth Driver” on smooth routes.
For Individual Drivers – The repeat routes are often the daily commute and frequent errands. This app can be helpful in learning where stop clusters are on those routes.
For Fleet Vehicle Managers – Vehicle fleets or sub-fleets often drive repeat routes or routes within the same zone. This app can be useful in learning where sudden stop clusters are on those repeat routes or within those driving zones, adding to your fleet telematics dataset. Beyond just driver scores, Coaster helps identify risk associated with particular location(s), enabling visualization of the higher risk location(s) and providing the ability for behavior change. An individual’s sudden stop history is helpful in increasing safety for the individual driver within the fleet or, with the beta fleet functionality, drivers’ sudden stop history can be shared for use by a substitute driver, a new driver, or drivers across the fleet.
For City Infrastructure and Departments of Transportation – The anonymized aggregate data of drivers within a city using the Smooth Ride app can be helpful in finding clusters of sudden stop activity within that city, indicating potential “hot spots” in the municipality. Longer term, historic data may help influence transportation planning. Short term data, such as spikes, may warrant observation by traffic officers.
Why Monitor Hard Braking?
Why should you be concerned about monitoring hard braking be part of your safety program? “Hard braking” events are one of the leading indicators for accidents. They can often occur in the same road segments due to individual driving behavior, group driving behavior, road design, construction, and traffic patterns.
For individuals or fleet managers, learning where patterns of sudden stops are in the daily commutes, errands, or driver routes can be helpful. For example, one company saw hard braking events decline by about 75 percent after it started using technology which included hard braking tracking.
How It Works
1. This application samples accelerometer and GPS data of the phone to detect when and where a driver makes sudden stops. No additional hardware is required.
2. When a sudden stop occurs, the location is logged, an alert is displayed, and a map marker of the location is shown.
3. On future drives, a map is displayed. Where the driver drives through a road segment where there are map markers or clusters of prior sudden stops, the display encourages drivers to average their speed or “coast” through that strip.
The hard stop detection sensitivity and prior hard stops display selection can be changed in the settings. The hard stop history can be reset at any time.
The technology is patent pending. ‘Smooth Ride’ and ‘Coaster’ are trademarks of the application owner.
This app is singularly focused on decreasing driver risk by tying sudden stop driving behavior to locations. For inquiry about partnering to integrate this technology in telematics, mapping, or other applications, see the licensing inquiry page.