Mobile app checks your driving style and behaviour
10 January 2013
A group at the Universitat Politècnica de València has developed a mobile phone application called DrivingStyles that can detect bad driving habits.
Using a Bluetooth device, the application collects information from the electronic control unit of the vehicle such as speed, acceleration, revs, accelerator position and geographical position by GPS. After gathering the information, the user sends the route data to a web site where they are analysed.
"From an algorithm based on neural networks, the system is able to characterise the type of road and the user's driving style," says Carlos Tavares, head researcher of the project.
The Valencian researchers aim to help correct bad driving habits, especially overly aggressive driving patterns that might lead to accidents and higher fuel consumption. "This system could be used by insurance companies to offer discounts to low-risk drivers," says Tavares.
The free application is available for Android smartphones here.
Correct driving behaviour can save up to 20 percent of fuel consumption and improve road safety.