Wireless phones only weigh about 4 ounces, but they get blamed for all kinds
of damage caused when multiton vehicles collide. Now some companies
are hoping to prevent accidents before they happen.

In a broad sense, mobile phone navigation systems help prevent accidents by telling drivers how to get to their destination, sometimes directing them away from congested areas. But there are other, more direct ways to beat the traffic snarl.

Technocom and a bevy of other automotive companies are working on technologies that one day might alert drivers that they are approaching an intersection or even enable the vehicles themselves to take pro-active steps to avoid being bumped. Other entities are catching the attention of insurance companies in hopes of preventing accidents and rewarding good drivers. And a small company in Southern California is trying to get a chirping sound into cell phones so drivers will get a heads-up when they’re about to reach an intersection.

CLOSE CALLS
After being struck twice by drivers talking on cell phones, Demetrius Thompson came up with the idea for a mobile alerting system that uses GPS. He was issued a patent in December for a system that can tell end-users when they’re approaching a traffic signal via an audible sound through the cell phone, just like the chirp heard at crosswalks to alert the disabled. The system is not yet commercial, but he’s working on that through his company, Global Mobile Alert Corporation, based in Los Angeles.

Thompson: Cell phone alerts can warn users when nearing traffic intersections.

Thompson is talking to companies in the mapping/navigation space, which could potentially sell a service to end-users for, say, $59.99 a year. The product works with hands-free devices as well as phones, so it’s applicable even in cities where cell phones are banned while driving. “It will save lives,” Thompson says.

All levels of government – local, state and federal – are making safety a priority, and if wireless carriers don’t voluntarily implement safety measures, the government will impose more and probably harsher restrictions, says Randy Anderson of Marketing Enterprises, who has acted as a consultant for Thompson. “We’re not advocating that people be prohibited from using cell phones while driving since people are going to do it anyway… [We’re saying] let’s put some safety features on their phones. This is something that needs to be out there.”

Called MyMobileAlert, the system could be configured as an application that fleet companies could use to get discounts on their insurance, suggests Bob Serafini, vice president of enterprise sales at GPS firm Pharos, which is looking at Thompson’s product. (Serafini also is a founder of Telcontar, now known as LBS platform provider deCarta.) If there were fewer accidents, insurance companies could save on what they have to pay out and the fleet companies could get a discount on their insurance. “There are a lot of places to expand the application,” he says.

WAVE AND 5.9 GHz
A more long-range endeavor involving vehicle collision prevention is in the works through efforts involving Wireless Access in Vehicle Environment (WAVE)/5.9 GHz and dedicated short-range communications (DSRC). TechnoCom, perhaps best known for its E911 work in wireless, is working with automakers, auto suppliers, navigation providers and government agencies to make solutions come to fruition. In November, the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) network will be presented in the largest live, interoperable demonstration of its type at the ITS World Congress in New York City.

While a long-range goal is to make solutions for the mass-market and have automakers incorporate the technology into vehicles, TechnoCom initially has its sights set on implementations such as tolling and roadside inspection types of applications, according to Justin McNew, director of mobility solutions at TechnoCom. After-market device makers represent another group that might be nearer in terms of safety applications. The expectation is that auto OEMs are at least five years away from putting technology into cars.

TechnoCom’s product is designed to support both Wi-Fi and DSRC, but using DSRC/5.9 GHz solves the connection time problem, McNew explains. Displaying traffic information in a vehicle requires a fairly rapid response time, which you can’t get with today’s 802.11 Wi-Fi networks, where too much latency occurs between the first attempt to make a connection and the actual connection.

The overall project involves concepts such as intersection crash avoidance, whereby an audible sound in a vehicle might alert a driver that he or she is approaching an intersection and the light is yellow. Or the system might tell a driver whether it’s safe to turn left. In these scenarios, traffic signal infrastructure as well as automotive vehicles would need technological upgrades, which could require significant investment.

More than 40,000 deaths each year in the United States are associated with traffic accidents, and at least a quarter of those happen at intersections, McNew says. Between intersections and other areas, the technology could make a sizable dent in lives saved. But even if it prevents 10% or 20% loss of life, it’s a worthy investment, he says.

PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS
Taking an entirely different turn but one still aimed at improving traffic safety is the model employed by IVOX. The company, which is going after insurance and fleet companies, designed DriverScore 2.0, a driver risk management system designed to predict individual driving behavior. The company installs a “black box,” or device about the size of a BlackBerry, which captures information about a driver’s behavior, such as acceleration, braking, lane changes and other things. The data is analyzed through algorithms to create a risk-adjusted assessment of the driver’s conduct.

Warren: DriverScore predicts individual’s driving behavior.

The system takes into account the type of vehicle as well as load – a truck hauling boxes will react differently compared to one hauling meat, for example. “We proved the concept out and now we’re deploying,” says Gregg Warren, CEO of IVOX. “The issue is such a problem that people call us” after they hear about the system.

The company’s initial focus is the commercial trucking industry but it also is planning to approach the personal auto sector. The system uses Wi-Fi to transmit data about driving behavior because wide-area cellular plans are too expensive, but if or when cellular data prices come down, IVOX would be more than happy to use cellular, Warren says.

Whether it’s a device that chirps when drivers near intersections or technologies that predict driver’s behavior, entrepreneurs are finding ways to use wireless technology to enhance, rather than distract, drivers on the road.