Page 15 - Inventing Tomorrow

“The problem with vehicle-to-vehicle communication is that it only works if all vehicles are instrumented, and it will be at least 20 years until the entire eet is replaced.”
— JOHN HOURDOS
to the roads, to their data, to their networks, and they are great people to work with.”
There’s also no shortage of
knowledge here. From the Center for Transportation Studies to the Roadway Safety Institute, the Minnesota Traf c Observatory to the Intelligent Vehicles Lab, the University of Minnesota is home
to a veritable blue book of experts.
Here, we get to know three experts from the College of Science and
Engineering.
John Hourdos: Connecting the DOT
No matter how great we are at driving, we’ve all had our moments of testing fate. Double-checking our Google map. Fiddling with the radio, the heater, the mirrors. Daydreaming about our next new car...
In most cases, fate gives us a free pass. That is, unless we’re driving west on Interstate 94 near downtown Minne- apolis, during afternoon peak hours. At that place and time, there is at least one fender-bender every two days.
John Hourdos, director of the Minnesota Traf c Observatory (MTO), says we can blame it on “unforgiving conditions.” Typically, the conditions around our vehicles are forgiving, meaning that we can safely let our mind wander for a second or two.
But not there, and not then.
“In that location, a lot of people are try- ing to change lanes, and it’s very dif cult to nd a gap,” Hourdos said. “You’re looking over your shoulder longer than normal, and you’re not paying attention to someone stopping in front of you.”
John Hourdos, research associate professor of civil, environmental, and geo- engineering, is working to improve driver safety and tra c mobility.
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