Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s HumanFIRST Laboratory, have conducted a test on how in-vehicle signing on the driver's smartphone or vehicle display, could alert drivers and modify their behavior.

Spearheaded by the principal investigator Nichole Morris, the project focused on how drivers react to in-vehicle sign (IVS) systems, which have been designed and developed to prepare them for transitions to new driving conditions such as changes in speed and schools and construction zones in the area.

University of Minnesota principal investigator Nichole Morris said: “Safety across all crash types was significantly reduced when in-vehicle warnings were used without external signs.

"We do believe that using these systems in conjunction with external signs has the potential to reduce speeding and crashes."

“This suggests that as a supplement to external signs, the IVS system might reduce traffic speed variability and improve safety.

“Sometimes smartphones are the cause of driver distraction.

"An IVS system might be a tool to break that distraction by showing the driver there’s something important ahead and to change speed.”

The project was supported by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board, arose from a previous Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) study that examined the feasibility of using smartphones for implementing connected vehicle programs.

The researchers developed a simulated route for the HumanFIRST driving simulator using a real roadway network from southern Minnesota.

For this test forty participants were asked to drive the 24-mile simulated route with and without the IVS system activated.

Morris further added: “Although using IVS systems instead of external signs would presumably save money on infrastructure costs, we do not recommend this.

“However, we do believe that using these systems in conjunction with external signs has the potential to reduce speeding and crashes, and needs to be explored further.”

The researchers found that an IVS system would affect driving performance in several ways. When it was used without external signs, speeding and speed variability increased.