400 San Jose Drivers Sought For App Study To Improve Safety, Save Fuel

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Officials in San Jose are seeking 400 drivers for a 6-month study to determine how drivers with information about traffic signals might drive more safely and save on gas.

Beginning this month, officials with the San Jose Department of Transportation, Connected Signals, Argonne National Laboratory and the BMW Group will give participating drivers an app that tell them when a signal will change.

Drivers can slow down when a light is about to change rather than speeding or trying to speed through it.

"I think we will see safer driving," Connected Signals CEO Matt Ginsberg said. That will make driving less stressful and save fuel, he said.

Drivers may see a 5 percent increase in fuel economy, which may increase to 15 percent if a vehicle's power train is integrated with the traffic signal information, according to Ginsberg.

The technology also could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent or more, Connected Signals president David Etherington said in a statement.

Each vehicle's performance will be measured with equipment attached to the vehicle.

Experts at Argonne National Laboratory will analyze data from the attached equipment to determine whether drivers drove more safely and saved fuel.

To sign up for the study, drivers must have an iPhone 5s or later version, drive a 2008 or later model vehicle and drive in San Jose on a regular basis. Drivers who own BMWs should have a 2013 or later model.

Drivers completing the study will be entered into a drawing for prizes including five complete car detail packages, Twenty $100 Amazon or Uber gift cards and a $1000 grand prize.

More details on taking part in the study can be found at http://connectedsignals.com/sjstudy.

The study is made possible in part by the U.S. Department of Energy's Small Business Vouchers Pilot program.

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