ICBC will be spending $200,000 to outfit up to 200 Metro Vancouver taxis with the latest in crash-aversion technology.
The goal is to study whether lane departure technology works and how it changes habits. In addition, the yearlong pilot program will monitor drivers’ ongoing habits behind the wheel.
“These technologies are coming out really quickly,” said Sonny Senghera, ICBC’s road safety manager. “There isn’t enough data or enough studies that have been done that actually show us in a real world environment how they’re going to perform.”
A request for proposals was recently issued looking for companies specializing in technology such as “lane departure warnings” and “forward collision avoidance,” Senghera said.
ICBC will pay to install, maintain and monitor the equipment through a partnership with local taxi companies.
Taxis will be fitted with equipment studying the actions of drivers, detecting if the person is speeding or driving aggressively.
“Taxis are out there on the road most of the day,” Senghera said. “They put on a lot of miles throughout the year and they have different drivers.”
A year’s worth of driving data will be compiled and shared with all drivers in the future.