We are seeking safe drivers to participate in a research experiment. The research goal is to assess the impact of adaptive cruise control (ACC)-equipped vehicles to smooth traffic, thereby increasing fuel economy of all cars locally. A series of experiments will be run that involve multiple vehicles running custom ACC. The experiments will take place in the mornings on I-24 between Sam Ridley Parkway and Haywood Lane, and will consist only of standard driving maneuvers while using the custom ACC.

• Training session: One weekday from November 7th to November 11th, 2022 for a training no longer than 3 hours.
• Main Experiments: Five weekdays from Monday, November 14th to Friday, November 18th, 2022 between the hours of 5AM and 10:30AM.

• Government-issued Driver’s License;
• 18 years of age or older;
• Comfortable with typical freeway driving;
• Before driving, you must meet eligibility requirements set forth by Vanderbilt Risk and Insurance Management which may include a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) driving background check and Driving Orientation through Vanderbilt University;
• You will receive a link to request the MVR check after you Sign Up. Request this check as soon as possible, as it must be completed before training.
• You do not need a vehicle, one will be provided to you for use during the experiments.

• Drivers will be compensated for their time.

Other Information

The data collected during the test includes vehicle data (e.g., position, speed, acceleration, radar measurements); publicly available video data from Tennessee Department of Transportation-owned traffic cameras and drones; and dash cameras installed in the vehicles. We do not collect personally identifiable information (PII) about the drivers as part of the research data.

Procedures used to determine eligibility follow the guidelines set out by Vanderbilt University Risk and Insurance Management driving eligibility procedures. All persons willing to volunteer must be over 18 years old and have a government-issued driver's license. Drivers may additionally be required to take a Vanderbilt Driver Orientation course, consent to an Motor Vehicle Report background check, and meet any additional requirements set forth. All participants will be expected to attend a safety and experimental test briefing prior to the start of testing. Participants may be removed from the driving research at any time by the PIs, but will be compensated for their efforts to that point.

This research is being conducted by Prof. Dan Work in Civil Engineering and Prof. Jonathan Sprinkle of Computer Science, at Vanderbilt University and the Institute for Software Integrated Systems. The research is in collaboration with researchers from UC Berkeley, Rutgers University, and Temple University, and is supported by the US Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.