Last April there was a tragic accident on Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Colorado. A runaway semi-tractor slammed into a line of stopped cars at a speed of over 80 mph, leading to the heartbreaking death of four people and injuries for many more.

According to authorities, the suspect didn’t show any signs of having used drugs or alcohol. The accident is likely to have been a result of a mechanical problem or brake failure. However, the driver can still be convicted of vehicular homicide if evidence shows that he didn’t heed highway warnings to slow down or was operating the vehicle recklessly.

The magnitude and severe consequences of this accident warrant the question: how can we help prevent this from happening in the future?

How Road-Aware Helps Prevent These Tragedies

Highway signs warning drivers to slow down can be found throughout all major freeways, and there are several explicit warning signs for truck drivers making the descent on this stretch of I-70. However, exact speed limits for trucks can be inaccurate since no consideration is made regarding load weight, load stability and road conditions. Regardless of the efforts made to properly calibrate road signage, they may not be helpful to all.

Photo: Jim Park

Enter Road-Aware. This state-of-the-art applicationhelps calculate the speed a truck should engage when descending slopes or navigating sharp curves.

Road-Aware is a tablet-based app that gives drivers advanced warnings and maximum safe-speed recommendations so they can safely navigate difficult road segments.

The app provides those recommendations by combining GPS location and accurate three-dimensional road geometry data with actual vehicle dynamics – truck configuration and load.

These are not arbitrary suggestions, but engineering-based calculations.

Road-Aware Managing Director Garth Lawrence was recently interviewed by TruckingInfo.com and says:

“Historically, drivers have descended grades and taken sharp curves by the seat of their pants. There’s little guidance from road signs. They certainly don’t take vehicle dynamics and brake performance into account. Consequently, drivers do not take them seriously.”

How NeoTreks Helps Road-Aware

Acting as its software development partner, NeoTreks helps Road-Aware turn its patented technology into reality. The Road-Aware prototype is currently being tested on dozens of vehicles, improving safety for huge trucks on difficult road segments. It’s cross-platform compatible, and functions on both Apple and Android smartphones and tablets.

The application also features full reporting capabilities so fleets can monitor drivers’ performance. A scorecard is in the works to help fleets evaluate drivers and identify problems before they turn into calamities.

Safer Roads for All

Unlike other solutions in the market, the Road-Aware app ensures that the driver is warned of any factors affecting their trip beforehand, helping eliminate destructive circumstances like rollovers or brake fade on grades.

When a driver knows what to expect, he or she won’t be caught off-guard, ultimately avoiding countless accidents from happening on Interstate 70, here in Colorado and beyond.

Click here to read the full article via Road-Aware.

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