PRODUCTO POR CADENAS DE PRODUCCION

The present project has made clear the fact that driver monitoring is a broad enterprise for dealing with novice teen drivers. It is in its infancy. There are likely to be many behavioral strategies, sensor systems, communications technologies, and programmatic approaches that

emerge. Products and services may be developed with different costs, demands on the user, target drivers, or target consumer families. The stakeholders engaged in the development,

distribution, and evaluation of monitoring systems will also be diverse, including universities and research organizations, Federal or State government agencies, insurers, safety organizations, the driver training field, law enforcement and judicial programs, and many sorts of entrepreneurial organizations (e.g., automotive industry, sensor developers, fleet monitoring companies). The quality of the systems, user interfaces, and programs will undoubtedly vary greatly (as is already seen) and the extent of formal assessment will also vary. It would be unrealistic to view the teen monitoring enterprise as a coordinated effort to converge on some “optimal” system. Perhaps a good parallel would be the area of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Many diverse products and stakeholders are involved in ITS, often with quite different objectives, but they share some common themes and issues in terms of technology. Teen driver monitoring, at least for some time, is likely to be similar.

Given a diverse range of efforts, both domestic and international, there currently is no good means for these efforts to inform one another. There is no sharing of information, no regular scientific evaluation or critique, no benefits from “lessons learned,” no systematic guidance. Again using ITS as a more mature (and admittedly larger) example, researchers and

implementers gain technological and programmatic advancements through professional organizations, web sites, conferences, workshops, publications, clearinghouses, formal guidelines, equipment guides, and other means.

In order to help advance the technological basis and program effectiveness of novice driver monitoring efforts, and to help protect users from ineffective or dangerous products, it would be beneficial to put in place some means for coordination and integration of research and

development activities. Researchers and implementers need to be aware of what activities are taking place, what is being found, and how this should influence system design.

Research objective

The objective of this effort is to establish and maintain a NHTSA-coordinated resource for the integration of information on teen monitoring, the promotion of communication and coordination among researchers and implementers, and the development of recommendations in the form of guidelines, best practices, or lessons-learned documents. It should make the factors that are associated with success, or failure, known to the larger stakeholder community. These objectives will require a variety of activities.

Approach/anticipated methods

The initial step is to establish some form of Center or clearinghouse that will coordinate all of the required activities and sustain the effort over some extended period so as to remain a resource to the field. A separate information center may be created to provide information to non-

professionals (e.g., parents, teens, and media). The following activities should then be undertaken:

• Identify key stakeholders, related professional organizations and technical committees, industry groups, and so forth, and bring them in to the effort. This should include any who might be directly involved in the R&D enterprise, and also those who might ultimately interface with them, such as licensing authorities, enforcement, etc.

• Create a web site to house the effort and serve as a central source of information. 70

• Conduct a thorough literature search, technology scan, and identification of ongoing research and programs. Make the findings broadly available, and update the document periodically.

• Conduct periodic workshops, webinars, conferences, or other mechanisms for promoting communication among researchers, implementers, evaluators. These should provide awareness of ongoing efforts, new technologies, program outcomes, problems and lessons-learned, innovations, etc.

• Critically review emerging findings, conduct meta-analyses, evaluate sensor performance, etc., to provide an objective, third-party assessment.

• Based on the above, develop recommendations in whatever form is most appropriate – guidelines, best practices, success stories, etc.

• Provide some form of technical clearinghouse function for those who have technical issues. This feedback could be provided directly from project staff or through the establishment of an expert resource directory.

• Determine whether there is a need for an information center for non-professionals, and if so, what form it should take and what information should be provided.

The effort is most meaningful as a sustained resource, rather than viewed as a one-time effort. As the driver monitoring effort expands and matures, there will be a continued need for information sharing, communication, and guidance. Given the diverse nature expected for the enterprise, no organization is likely to initiate and oversee this role other than NHTSA.

Potential benefits/payoff

The potential benefit of this effort is to amplify the benefits of the many anticipated activities, small and large, formal and informal, associated with teen monitoring technologies and programs. This will improve the quality of research and development efforts, help eliminate ineffective practices, focus on efficient strategies, and speed the evolution of the entire teen monitoring enterprise. It will foster collaboration of teen monitoring system developers with other institutions involved with teen driver safety, such as licensing, enforcement, driver training, schools, etc.

6.3.6 Research study: Large scale field evaluation