In Verification Testing Among Rental Car Drivers Conducted in Okinawa, the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) Confirms Significant Behavioral Changes Lead to a Reduction of Traffic Accidents.
TMF Aims to Further Promote Safe Driving and Tourism by Utilizing Vehicle Data in the Future
2022.10.04
Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) engaged in verification testing for rental car drivers’ safe driving support from December of last year, with cooperation from Yazaki Corporation, Toyota Rent a Car, and JTB. Testing results confirmed that resulting changes in driver behavior, such as reductions in dangerous behavior and limiting speed at accident-prone locations, directly led to fewer traffic accidents. In the future, the vehicle data from Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) will also be used by institutions in industry, academia, and government to further promote safe driving and address regional issues such as tourism promotion. (See previous release at: https://toyotamobilityfoundation.jp/en/news/release/0057.html)
Results of Verification Testing
Use of the Yazaki Corporation's in-vehicle tablet applications and various incentives revealed the following observable changes in driver behavior:
- Approach warnings were provided for eight high-risk intersections, resulting in incident reductions of 46% for excessive speed, 49% for sudden starts, 78% for sudden acceleration, and 50% for sudden deceleration when compared to pre-test values. (See chart below)
- Use of an app that displays an animated face that changes in expression based on safe driving values also received positive feedback and led to results such as reduced peak speeds.
Verification test data period: December 9, 2021 - May 31, 2022. Pre-test (control) data period: August 10, 2020 - June 30, 2021
Future Verification Plans
Toyota Motor Corporation and Yazaki Corporation, with cooperation from the Okinawa Prefectural Police
Toyota will participate in a newly planned project to analyze rental car characteristics using the T-Connect connected service to identify areas with an estimated high likelihood of accidents. In addition, the application will also include the most frequent accident locations as verified and confirmed by the Okinawa Prefectural Police to alert rental car drivers on approach, further helping to prevent accidents.
University of the Ryukyus (Associate Professor Daisuke Kamiya), University of Tokyo (Professor Daisuke Fukuda), JTB, and Yazaki Corporation
With assistance from Associate Professor Daisuke Kamiya of the University of the Ryukyus and Professor Daisuke Fukuda of the University of Tokyo, all the data gathered so far on rental car behavior can be used in considering various tourism policies. The latest sightseeing information can also be provided directly inside cars to encourage wider trip distribution, which can also help to relieve traffic congestion and thus increase the area’s attractiveness as a sightseeing spot.
All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Japan Transocean Air, ANA Festa, and JALUX Airport
All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Japan Transocean Air, ANA Festa, and JALUX Airport are cooperating with the test by providing incentives—such as airline tickets, local products, and more—to safe drivers, and will work to encourage safe driving among rental car users.
Outline of Verification Test
- Period:
December 9, 2021 - May 31, 2022
Step 2:
October 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023 (Planned) - Subject area: Okinawa main Island
- Testees: Customers of Toyota Rent a Car Okinawa who agree to participate in this verification test
- Primary activities:
Step 1 (Already started)
Provide information on Okinawa's traffic environment and accident-prone areas around popular tourist destinations through interactive videos, and encourage increased awareness of safe driving.
Use an in-vehicle tablet application developed by Yazaki Corporation to diagnose driving based on information such as the customer's speed, acceleration, and emergency braking while driving; and provide feedback based on the results. Also, offer advance alerts about accident-prone locations.
Step 2 (New initiatives)
①Use Toyota's T-Connect connected service data analysis to identify rental car driving characteristics and accident-prone areas. The information obtained will be linked to in-vehicle tablet apps, and additional user alert areas will be added.
②Promoting multi-language support for overseas visitors to Japan.
③ Provide new sightseeing information through the in-vehicle tablet app to encourage users to change behavior and distribute travel more widely.
④Coordinate with the University of the Ryukyus, the University of Tokyo, and Okinawa Prefectural Police in a collaboration between industry, academia, and government to solve local issues such as further reducing accidents and supporting tourism promotion measures.
To achieve traffic safety, it is important to integrate the three elements of People, as in educational activities for drivers and pedestrians; Cars, as in development of safe vehicles; and Traffic Environment improvements, such as installation of traffic signals and road maintenance.
In addition to a full range of educational tools and activities coordinated with relevant organizations all aimed at people, TMF is promoting initiatives to achieve its goal of reducing fatalities and injuries from traffic accidents to zero through arranging existing technologies and adopting new technologies and perspectives.
Since its foundation, Toyota has operated to help create a prosperous society through automobiles while maintaining its respect for all stakeholders, including customers, business partners, employees, and local communities. In August 2014, it established the Toyota Mobility Foundation to promote more activities in the general public’s interest.
Since its founding, the Toyota Motor Corporation has conducted its business activities with the aim of creating a prosperous society through automobiles while respecting all stakeholders, including customers, business partners, employees, and the local communities in which it operates. Accordingly, TMF was established in August 2014 to conduct activities that benefit the public good.
Aiming to realize a mobility society in which everyone can move about freely, TMF is working to solve mobility issues around the world through a diverse range of projects. Going forward, the Toyota Group, working in cooperation with various partners and utilizing the technologies and knowhow it has cultivated through its business activities, will continue to promote undertakings that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while contributing to the realization of a society where people can lead rich and fulfilling lives.
Reference data (Japanese only)
