Smartphone app for improving driving style; improved safety, lower fuel consumption

10 January 2013

The Group of Computer Networks-DISCA of the Universitat Politècnica de València has developed a smartphone application that characterizes our driving style. The new DrivingStyles app, currently available for Android-based phone, detects bad habits and helps promote better driving behavior.

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 analyzed.

From an algorithm based on neural networks the system is able to characterize the type of road and the user’s driving style.

— Carlos Tavares, head researcher of the project

The Valencian researchers aim to help correct bad driving habits, especially the overly aggressive driving patterns that are generally associated with greater danger while driving and higher fuel consumption.

Drivers involved in this pilot experiment have direct access to all routes recorded by the web portal of the platform and to data such as acceleration graphics, speed and route maps, including also an individualized analysis of driving style. A correct driving behavior can save up to 20% of fuel consumption and improve road safety, the researchers say.