Patent Application
20150087279
In the United States, a police reported accident involving a commercial vehicle occurs every 1.6 minutes. Annual expenses occurring from commercial vehicle crashes are estimated by the Federal Highway Safety Administration to be around eighty-seven billion dollars (FHWA, Highway Statistics 2010 and Highway Statistics 2011, Table VM-1). Although accidents involving personal vehicles are about sixteen times as common as commercial vehicle accidents, due to their size, weight, and commercial status, the motor carriers who operate larger vehicles and the companies employing them are often the target of liability litigation.
Commercial fleet operators must investigate accidents carefully in order to protect their business interests. An important factor in creating a good investigation report is having accurate, quality, and contemporaneous information from the scene. Management and/or administrating personnel rarely witness the crash, and thus have to rely on the driver to carefully and accurately document the accident scene. However, the driver may not have prior experience with processing the scene of an accident and/or may be emotionally distracted and thus unable to carefully and/or accurately document the accident scene.
The commercial carrier industry is often subject to unnecessary litigation and/or left defending an unfavorable position in litigation and/or settlement following an accident.
The commercial vehicle driver has some very specific responsibilities while attending to an accident scene. He has to secure the scene and alert oncoming traffic using reflective warning triangles and emergency flashers; assist those in need to the best of his ability; turn his engine off to protect “black box” engine data; and, most importantly, cooperate with authorities and other parties without causing self-incrimination.
Furthermore, in order to place the commercial vehicle operator in a defensible position, the driver has to gather as much information as possible in order to assist in future accident investigation.
Meanwhile, the company administrator also has important responsibilities. That person has to organize a detailed accident report and investigation for their company counsel and insurance company.
In addition, under certain circumstances following an accident a driver must be subject to an alcohol test within a predetermined time (e.g., eight hours) of the accident and a drug test within another predetermined time (e.g., 32 hours) post-accident. If the company cannot achieve this, then they must document efforts to have done so.
A mobile accident processing system and method is described herein, such as it may be implemented in a tool (or tools) that help the commercial carrier, with the assistance of the driver (or other personnel) train for in advance of an accident, and in the event of an accident create a comprehensive and accurate accident report. In an example, the tool may relay information to administrative personnel of the commercial carrier, and confirm that all data is collected properly. In an example, the tool may also relay information in real-time to first responders, e.g., to receive medical and/or mechanical help if needed.
The mobile accident processing system and method may be embodied at least in part as an application executable on a mobile device and communicatively coupled with program code executing on a base station (e.g., a host computer, such as but not limited to a server computer or other remote computer system). In an example, the system is a computer program product embodied as computer-readable instructions stored on a non-transient computer-readable media and executable by a processor to process an accident. Processing the accident may include receiving notification of an accident involving at least a commercial carrier. Processing the accident may also include testing at least one condition associated with the accident. Processing the accident may also include assessing circumstances of the accident based on testing the at least one condition to determine whether an impairment test is required. In an example, assessing circumstances includes, but is not limited to, determining if at least one of the following conditions exist: Condition 1: the accident involves a fatality; Condition 2: if there has been an injury requiring treatment away from the scene (e.g., an ambulance ride), and a traffic citation is issued to a commercial carrier driver; and Condition 3: a vehicle is required to be towed and a traffic citation is issued to a commercial carrier driver.
In an example, the computer program product is executable by the processor to start a timer upon receiving notification of the accident, the timer identifying a time requirement for obtaining the impairment test.
In an example, the computer program product is executable by the processor to instruct a commercial carrier driver to complete the impairment test.
In an example, the computer program product is executable by the processor to document the circumstances when an impairment test is determined to be unnecessary.
In an example, the computer program product is executable by the processor to receive signals from a global positioning device, and associate at least one location-specific condition with the circumstances. The at least one location-specific condition may be, by way of non-limiting illustration a weather condition, a road condition, and/or a traffic condition.
In an example, the computer program product is executable by the processor to preserve information on a black-box of a vehicle involved in the accident.
In an example, the computer program product is executable by the processor to instruct a user on a step-by-step basis to collect information about the accident.
In an example, the computer program product is executable by the processor to provide a training module to a commercial carrier driver.
The system may be implemented to communicate with emergency services in the case of a vehicle accident, communicate with a remote administrator about the vehicle accident, process data pertaining to the accident, determine one or more next step based on the data received, and prompt the user to take the next step to create a vehicle accident report.
In an example, the application may be implemented by a mobile device including, but not limited to phones, tablets, laptops, global positioning receivers, voice recorders, or any other computing devices. Further, the application may contain instructions to send and receive signals from a global positioning satellite to determine a location of the mobile device. The data input into the application by the user may be viewable by the remote administrator. The example application may further contain picture, text, video, or voice data aimed at educating a user on protocols surrounding vehicle accidents.
Before continuing, it is noted that as used herein, the term “commercial carrier” is used herein to refer to any transportation and/or delivery company (government and/or private), including but not limited to the trucking and freight industry which delivers goods, and municipal bus, school bus, taxi cab and shuttle services which transport people, and any other use of government and/or private (albeit, non-personal) vehicles such as, e.g., trains. In an example, the term “commercial carrier” includes but is not limited to “commercial Motor Vehicle” as defined in the current 49 C.F.R. 390.5 as “any self-propelled or towed motor vehicle used on a highway in interstate commerce to transport passengers or property when the vehicle: (1) Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight, of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater; or (2) Is designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; or (3) Is designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver, and is not used to transport passengers for compensation; or (4) Is used in transporting material found by the Secretary of Transportation to be hazardous under 49 U.S.C. 5103 and transported in a quantity requiring placarding under regulations prescribed by the Secretary under 49 CFR, subtitle B, chapter I, subchapter C.”
The term “accident” is used herein to refer to any collision on a roadway or other point of passage, whether the collision is between a vehicle and at least one other vehicle and/or a vehicle and another object, and regardless of fault or cause.
Furthermore, the terms “include,” “includes” and “including” mean, but is not limited to, “include,” “includes” or “including” in addition to “include at least,” “includes at least” and/or “including at least.” The term “based on” means “based on” and “based at least in part on.”
The host computer 120 may be implemented with any of a wide variety of computing devices, such as, but not limited to, stand-alone desktop/laptop/netbook computers, workstations, server computers, blade servers, and appliances (e.g., devices dedicated to providing a service), to name only a few examples. The host computer 120 may execute program code 122.
Each of the computing devices (e.g., mobile device 110 and host computer 120) may include memory, storage, and a degree of data processing capability at least sufficient to manage a communications connection either directly with one another or indirectly (e.g., via a network). The computing devices are also configured with sufficient processing capability to execute the program code described herein.
It is noted that the components shown and described herein are provided only for purposes of illustration of an example operating environment, and are not intended to limit implementation to any particular system.
The program code 112 on the mobile device 112 may execute in combination with the program code 122 executing on host computer 120 to provide the services described herein. In an example, the program code 112 and/or 122 may be part of a cloud-based service, wherein the program code is executed on at least one local computing device, but having access to the service via a cloud computing platform.
In an example, the program code may be implemented in machine-readable instructions (such as but not limited to, software or firmware). The machine-readable instructions may be stored on a non-transient computer readable medium and are executable by one or more processor to perform the operations described herein. However, the operations described herein are not limited to any specific implementation with any particular type of program code.
During operation, the program code may execute the function of the architecture of machine readable instructions as self-contained modules. These modules can be integrated within a self-standing tool, or may be implemented as agents that run on top of an existing program code. Program code which implements aspects of the system and method can be better understood with reference to the following discussion of various example functions.
Before continuing, it should be noted that the examples described above are provided for purposes of illustration, and are not intended to be limiting. Other devices and/or device configurations may be utilized to carry out the operations described herein.
With reference to
Commercial vehicle drivers may be required (e.g., by the company and/or government) to be trained in many topics, e.g., ranging from Hours of Service and Fatigue Management to Defensive Driving and FMCSA regulations. The training mode may include appropriate training by way of videos, instructional text, mock accident reporting, etc.
The training mode may also include training on accident procedure and behavior. The manner in which a driver conducts himself or herself at the scene of an accident scene may be used during investigation, and potentially later litigation and/or settlement discussions. Commercial drivers are often a distributed work force and bringing them into a classroom for training disrupts the workflow and consumes scarce resources in an industry typically operating on thin profit margins. Therefore, providing the training mode on a driver's mobile device enables the drivers to complete mandatory and/or optional training at the driver's convenience.
The accident processing mode may inquire whether user (or other party involved in the accident) needs or desires Emergency Services (e.g., police, fire, ambulance, towing service), as illustrated by question area 210′ in
The accident processing mode also directs drivers on site and in real time (i.e., at the scene of an accident scene) to collect accurate, timely, and comprehensive information about the accident, by providing sequential questions and/or instruction to the driver, and receiving data input (e.g., text, photos, voice recording and/or video) at the mobile device. The ability to input this data and have it available instantaneously and/or at a later time by an administrator of the company, further enables production of a comprehensive accident report at the scene.
The accident processing mode and training mode may be better understood with reference to the example operations shown in
Operations to capture data, move data between data fields, and process the data and generate output may be embodied as logic instructions on one or more computer-readable medium (e.g., on the mobile device 110 and/or host 120). When executed on a processor, the logic instructions cause a general purpose computing device to be programmed as a special-purpose machine that implements the described operations. In an example, the components and connections depicted in the figures may be used.
In operation 310, the operations start and may then proceed to ask the user whether they have been involved in an accident or desire to enter the training mode at operation 320. If the user has not been involved in an accident, then the operations may inquire whether the user desires to execute the training module at operation 330. If the user does not want to enter the training module (e.g., the application has been opened by mistake), then operations may end at 335.
If the user selects to enter the training module, then the mobile device 110 may enter training mode at operation 340. Training mode may include providing instruction to the user at operation 345, e.g., in the form of video, audio, text, interactive modules, and/or otherwise presenting the user with suitable training information (e.g., that which is required by the company and/or government, and/or that which is optional). Following presentation of the training material, the operations may end at operation 350.
If the user has initiated the accident processing module (e.g., by answering the question at operation 320), then the mobile device 110 may enter the accident processing mode at operation 360. In the accident processing mode, the mobile device 110 may be configured to collect data from the user and/or interact with remote sources (e.g., instructional material, a human operator, a company administrator, and/or emergency service(s)). Following operation in the accident processing mode, the operations may end at operation 370. It is noted that although operations on the mobile device 110 may end, operations may continue at the commercial carrier facility 105 (e.g., on host 120), including but not limited to continued processing.
For purposes of illustration, the training module and/or accident processing module may include any of a wide variety of resources. For example, either module may include instructional resources that the user may view (e.g., a video) that may be a tutorial or instructional recording. The educational module 2000 may take the user through an instructional session aimed at informing the driver of operational protocol to be followed in the case of an accident.
In an example, the user may be instructed how to behave in the case of an accident. For example, being courteous and respectful, never engaging in an argument, only speaking with law enforcement, being careful of wording during conversations, and making sure to complete the accident report before leaving the scene. The driver may be instructed for instance to stop in a safe spot, survey the area for power lines and/or other safety concerns, make sure the vehicle and any persons are visible on the roadway, and how to initiate a call for help.
In an example, the user may be instructed how to conduct a primary assessment (e.g., is an ambulance needed) and secure the accident scene, including but not limited to how to contain or control the incident by placing hazard triangle signs, assessing injury severity, and administering help (e.g., only to the level of that emergency first aid is required).
In an example, the user may be instructed how to conduct a secondary assessment, answering any questions queried by the application program on the mobile device, how to document the accident scene including driver or witness information, vehicle information, statement collection, and photographs that to acquire. Instruction may include otherwise unintuitive actions, such as to make sure to capture all of the accident scene, even if it is incriminating because other people or parties on the scene may be capturing these images or ideas and having their own photos will help better assess or cast a different light on the accident scene. Instructions may also include what not to document and driver misconceptions including failing to document parts of the scene because they may seem incriminating. Finally, the user may be prompted to perform a review to make sure the report is complete, and identify what if any next steps should be taken, and information including what to expect following the accident (e.g., any impairment testing and/or questions that may arise during the investigation phase).
The operations shown and described herein are provided to illustrate example implementations. It is noted that the operations are not limited to the ordering shown. Still other operations may also be implemented.
The mobile accident processing system and method enable the user to select various options for gathering information, e.g., using a selection wheel 400. In the example shown in
Other questions may include asking the user how many vehicles are involved in the crash, if a tow truck is required for any vehicle, and if the driver is being cited or issued a citation by a law enforcement authority. If a tow truck is required the user may be reminded not to start the engine of the vehicle (thus maintaining the integrity of the “black box” in the vehicle). Still other categories may be displayed on the selection wheel 400, and other questions may be posed to the user to gather the appropriate information.
Other examples of data entry may include a prompt to the user to take a photograph of the license plates of the vehicle(s), data entry screens for driver's and/or witnesses of the accident. As shown this data may be entered as text, voice recording, and/or photograph.
Other data entry screens include diagramming the accident, including vehicles and other aspects of the scene.
In an example, the series screens may further request the user to input data (or make appropriate selections) about the scene of the accident such as surface type, road type, surface conditions, and traffic conditions. These screens may also prompt the user to take photos of the scene. The user may make a voice recording (e.g., by selecting microphone option 540 in
It should be noted that the screenshots of
Under certain circumstances following an accident a driver must be subject to an impairment test (e.g., an alcohol test within eight hours of the accident and a drug test within 32 hours post-accident). If the company cannot achieve this, then they must document efforts to have done so.
The conditions for a drug and alcohol test requirement are; if there has been any fatality; if there has been an injury requiring treatment away from the scene (ambulance ride) and the driver has received a traffic citation; or any vehicle is required to be towed from the scene and the driver receives a citation.
The mobile accident processing system and method tests for these conditions and assists the administrator to accomplish the goals by accessing the contact information that has previously been stored in the clients database and conducting a search for drug testing facilities. The mobile accident processing system and method also documents those efforts (e.g., in order to satisfy the testing requirements under 49 CFR 383.303).
In operation 610, the program code receives notification of an accident. The program code receiving notification may be executing on the mobile device 110 and/or at the host 120. In operation 620, a timer is started. The timer may be set based on internal policy and/or government laws, rules or regulations, or on any other standard or benchmark. In an example, the timer is initiated based on an alcohol test to be performed within eight hours of the accident and a drug test within 32 hours post-accident.
In operation 630, the mobile accident processing system and method tests at least one condition of the accident. In operation 640, the mobile accident processing system and method assesses the circumstances of the accident. Assessing the circumstances may be based on data gathered and processed by the program code and may include by way of illustration determining whether at least one of Conditions 1-3 are satisfied:
Mathematically, the condition test can be expressed as (Fatality=Impairment Test) OR (Citation+Ambulance=Impairment Test) OR (Citation+Tow Truck=Impairment Test).
If one of three conditions is satisfied, then an impairment test is required. Additionally, the logic sequence not only applies to impairment testing, but also to suggest the preservation of the black-box data to aid in accident investigation and reconstruction. In other words, if the requirement for the impairment test is true, then the administrator also knows that there is a more serious situation on their hands. As such, they might want to have their vehicle towed, even if it is roadworthy, in order to not overwrite the black-box engine data. The company's alert level should increase based on this information and some large operators might even scramble a response team to the scene.
In operation 650, a determination is made whether an impairment test is needed and/or whether it can be completed. If the impairment test is not needed and/or cannot be completed, then the mobile accident processing system and method documents circumstances (e.g., that the driver indicated at least one condition was not satisfied).
In operation 660, the mobile accident processing system and method may instruct the driver to obtain impairment testing. For example, the user may be provided a location of the nearest test facility (e.g., based on location of user from a GPS link). In addition, an administrator of the commercial carrier company may be notified or contacted automatically with this information. Reminders may be issued until the user, administrator, or other inputs a code or otherwise indicates that the testing has been completed.
The following examples are provided to illustrate various aspects disclosed herein. These examples are not intended to be limiting in any manner.
In a first example, the accident processing module is activated by the driver and/or by an involved party in the accident (e.g., a witness). Upon activation of the accident processing module, the host (e.g., computing device(s) 120 at the commercial carrier facility 105) is contacted to begin processing the accident on the host-end.
In addition, the user is prompted whether there is a need for emergency services 207. An input of “yes” may prompt a screen to access communication to emergency services and/or contact the appropriate emergency services directly. The accident processing module may also prompt input of other data related to the emergency services (e.g., severity of injury, whether traffic is blocked by the vehicles).
A global positioning satellite (GPS) communication system may be activated to obtain location, heading, and weather data. This information may be processed, stored, and/or communicated to various parties at various points during execution of the program code. For example, location and other GPS data obtained from communication with a GPS may be relayed to a network based search engine to find the nearest local law enforcement and/or other emergency services to automatically contact and request assistance from these services based on processing the input by the user.
The program code may continue by prompting the user to collect data related to the accident (e.g., injury of persons, location of vehicle, and property damage). This data may be processed at least in part on the mobile device 110 and/or transmitted to the host 120 for simultaneous and/or later processing (e.g., to generate an internal accident report). Processing the data may also be used to initiate a timer and notify the driver to undergo impairment testing.
In an example where there is an injury on the scene, the accident processing module may enter a primary assessment mode to assist the user in securing the scene. This mode may direct the user to secure the scene by turning flashers on, turning engine off, putting warning triangles out, assisting those in need (as appropriate), remaining calm, reminding the user not to move injured people, prevent further accidents, and cooperate with authorities. All input by the user may be logged in this mode and becomes part of an internal accident report generated by the program code. Further reminders may also be provided to the user, e.g., as to important items to remember for the next step of the process, including for example to discuss the accident only with authorities, remembering to not discuss fault with anyone, and only explaining what happened in the accident.
In an example, the accident processing module may enter a secondary assessment mode. A series of questions are posed to the user, some of which may require input in order to create an internal accident report. These questions may include asking the user how many vehicles are involved in the crash, if a tow truck is required for any vehicle, and if the driver is being cited or issued a citation by a law enforcement authority. If a tow truck is required the user may be reminded not to start the engine of the vehicle (thus maintaining the integrity of the “black box” in the vehicle).
In an example, data collection may include the name, agency, business card or other identifying registration number for the officer(s) or law enforcement at the scene. If no citation information was entered earlier or an “I don't know” response was entered, the program code may prompt the user for citation information. Other data may include vehicle, driver and passenger information. Screens may prompt the user to take a photo of the person's driver's license, ask about injury and/or fatality information, and/or if that person gave a statement to law enforcement officers on the scene.
Vehicle information may be entered as to make, model, year, color, license plate number, damage, and user may be prompted to take a photograph with the mobile device running the application or other photographing means.
A data entry field may be displayed for the user to enter his or her own statement. This may be entered via text entry, voice recordation or video. Other persons at the scene and witness information may also be captured.
Other examples of data entry may include a prompt to the user to take a photograph of the license plates of the vehicle(s), data entry screens for driver's and/or witnesses of the accident. As shown this data may be entered as text, voice recording, and/or photograph. Any voice recordings may be translated to text by the program for final report creation. Other data entry screens include diagramming the accident, including vehicles and other aspects of the scene. The series screens have the user input data about the scene of the accident such as surface type, road type, surface conditions, and traffic conditions. These screens may also prompt the user to create a diagram of the accident and take photos of the scene.
The program code may enter a confirmation mode, which prompts the user to enter information missing in fields from earlier phases.
Directions may be provided to the user of next steps that need to be taken for instance in the case where an alcohol or drug test is required.
After these steps are successfully completed, the program code processes the data, e.g., by reconciling all answers, and creating an internal accident report. The data may be processed on the mobile device 110 and/or on the host 120.
In an example, the accident processing module may assess circumstances to determine whether an impairment test may be required. For example, a YES response to one or more questions (e.g., whether there are fatalities, a need for ambulance, need for towing vehicle, being issued a citation) may activate a timer and notify the user that an impairment test (e.g., drug and/or alcohol test) may be required. The module may further provide a location of the nearest test facility (e.g., based on location of user from a GPS link). In addition, an administrator of the commercial carrier company may be notified or contacted automatically with this information. Reminders may be issued until the user, administrator, or other inputs a code or otherwise indicates that the testing has been completed.
It is noted that the examples shown and described are provided for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting. Still other examples are also contemplated.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/880,495 titled “Mobile Accident Kit” of Brendan Dawson filed on Sep. 20, 2013, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all that it discloses as though fully set forth herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61880495 | Sep 2013 | US |
