New Ford Experiment Encourages Smarter Driving

Similar to the approach employed by fitness and exercise apps, plug-in devices gathered data from over 40 Ford Fiestas over 4 months. Driven by volunteers in London, every action that each driver took over 160,000 kilometres and more than 4,000 hours was recorded. This included detailing the slightest turn of the steering wheel and harsh braking, as well as time of day, weather, and road history.

(Ford Driver Behaviour Project employs an approach similar to fitness and exercise apps)

Based on the driver's interaction with the vehicle, a score was calculated for each journey that comprised parameters such as acceleration, braking, and steering. The score is affected by the results of each journey, with a graph showing the trend over time, thus enabling drivers to see on which days their scores were higher or lower. The app further provides insights to respective drivers about how different driving behaviours affected their score. It also offers suggestions to help improve - such as driving in the correct gear.

Jonathan Scott, project lead, Ford Smart Mobility, said, "From the vehicle data and research gathered, we were able to test an internally developed, highly advanced driving score algorithm. The score could be used to develop a mobility profile, enabling drivers to save money on services tailored to their needs."

Under the Driver Behaviour Project, Ford is also studying responses of volunteers in stressful driving situations, on the road and using a driving simulator, with eye-tracking and heart monitors.

Watch the video detailing Ford's Driver Behaviour experiment here: