U Minnesota Researchers Create 'Safe Road Maps' Mashup

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/30/08
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have created a Google Maps mashup, called SafeRoadMaps, which pinpoints the location of every fatal accident that has happened in the United States using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

"When drivers type in their most common routes, they're shocked how much blood is being shed on it," said Tom Horan, research director for Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS). "When it's the route you or your loved ones use, the need to buckle up, slow down, and avoid distractions and drinking suddenly becomes much more personal and urgent."

Users to the site can enter an address to find out the details of fatal accidents in that vicinity. They'll have the ability to narrow down their search to see the age of the driver, whether speeding or drinking was a factor, and if the driver was wearing a seatbelt. One of the most important aspects of the new tool also illustrates which life-saving public policies, such as strong seat belt laws, are in the chosen area.

"This tool sheds light on the importance of strong public policy that helps save lives in states across the nation," said Lee Munnich, a professor at the school's Humphrey Institute and director of CERS. "When you can visually see how many lives can be saved, it really changes how the public and policy makers see our roads."

CERS officials hope the tool will educate the public, especially those that live in rural areas, about road fatalities. U.S. Census figures show that 21 percent of Americans live in rural areas and the Federal Highway Administration has found that 57 percent of highway deaths happen on rural roads.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • glowing AI brain composed of geometric lines and nodes, encased within a protective shield of circuit patterns

    NIST's U.S. AI Safety Institute Announces Research Collaboration with Anthropic and OpenAI

    The U.S. AI Safety Institute, part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has formalized agreements with AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI to collaborate on AI safety research, testing, and evaluation.

  • a glowing gaming controller, a digital tree structure, and an open book

    Report: Use of Game Engines Expands Beyond Gaming

    Game development technology is increasingly being utilized beyond its traditional gaming roots, according to the recently released annual "State of Game Development" report from development and DevOps solutions provider Perforce Software.

  • translucent lock composed of interconnected nodes and circuits at the center

    Cloud Security Alliance: Best Practices for Securing AI Systems

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), a not-for-profit organization whose mission statement is defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, has released a new report offering guidance on securing systems that leverage large language models (LLMs) to address business challenges.