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December 11, 2012 By News Staff
Using two of the most innovative commuter smartphone applications out there -- Waze and Roadify -- the New Cities Foundation conducted a study in San Jose, Calif., to help cities worldwide better understand how real-time social networking among commuters can enhance the overall commuting experience and improve traffic management, Phys.org reported.
During the study -- which was performed by the San Jose Department of Transportation and the University of California's Mobile Millennium team from the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), in partnership with Sony Ericsson -- researchers compared drivers who used the apps with those who didn't, and found that app users were partially placated by the sense of community the apps gave them, despite the traffic.
"The daily commute is one of the most painful parts of urban life. This is true in most cities around the world, rich and poor, old and new," Naureen Kabir, Director of the New Cities Foundation Urban Lab, told Phys.org. "Our vision for this study is to determine how real-time information sharing between commuters can influence the development of new technologies, policies and other innovations that improve commuting in metropolitan areas throughout the world. We are excited about the results and we hope that cities, research labs and companies will use the findings as a starting point for further urban innovations in this important field."
The ability to share and receive information in real-time while in traffic created a sense of community for connected drivers, the study found, but such tools also have potential to alleviate traffic problems by sharing alternative routes for drivers. The Connected Commuting Task Force encouraged cities like San Jose to consider technologies such as crowd-sourced traffic apps while attempting to solve problems like traffic congestion.
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Dating myself, this is similar to what was going on back in the 70s. At that time, the technology available was the citizens band (CB) radio. With all the 10-codes used, it did not catch on that well with the average citizen. Still, for those like me (not a truck driver) who did use one, it provided a sense of connectedness similar to what this study describes.
Just what we need, another way for people to be distracted while driving. Some Driving While Distracted Statistics from Nationwide: Distraction from cell phone use while driving (hand held or hands free) extends a driver's reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (University of Utah) The No.1 source of driver inattention is use of a wireless device. (Virginia Tech/NHTSA) Drivers that use cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (NHTSA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) Driving while distracted is a factor in 25 percent of police reported crashes. Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent (Carnegie Mellon)
AND . . . Yesterday I attended a forum on new business development where it was announced that the newest company being formed in the local incubator has developed an APP that will inform parents if their children are texting while driving. I do 140 miles/day in my commute and find my most terrifying experiences are when I find myself careening down the Interstate with someone alongside me who is TEXTING at 70 mph. This is a lousy idea. Shut down the Connected Commuting task force!