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Transcript Mister Rogers had the Neighborhood of Make Believe … U of M researcher Mick Rakauskas has the Human First Program Simulator. “Whoa … and now I’m feeling the car shake, because I’m on the edge of the road.” Rakauskas doesn’t have any puppets in his make-believe world … instead, there’s a compact car and a 180-degree screen showing images from around Minnesota. “We would choose things in the environment that would match whatever our goals are. Farm areas or out-state areas versus areas in the city.” In Rakauskas’ simulator on the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus, drivers can take a make-believe ride through downtown Rochester … or, a jaunt down a corn-field-lined highway. It’s all part of a program that is telling U researchers a great deal about driver behavior. “Forget about talking on your cell phone. Making a video while driving? Now that’s being distracted. And this simulator can tell us that.” The simulator also tells researchers that drivers behave differently on country roads than they do in urban environments. “One of the things we’ve found was that, while driving with buildings closer to the road, people were a little more cautious and kept a more straight and narrow lane position, than in a rural environment.” Rakauskas says crash numbers back up what the simulator is telling them. For example, seat belt usage is statistically higher in urban drivers than rural drivers and per capita, more rural drivers die in crashes while not wearing a seat belt. The numbers also say more drunk-driving arrests take place in the country … and according to research … “People in rural areas tended to have … didn’t think driving under the influence was as dangerous as people did in urban areas.” Rakauskas says the whole point behind the simulator is awareness. If drivers are aware of their tendencies, they can, for example, pay more attention on rural roads … thereby making safe driving, anything but make believe. For the University of Minnesota, I’m Justin Ware. |
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