rovr manual pdf

31
Table of Contents I. Executive Summary 1 II. Introduction a. Statement of Problem Conducted 2 b. Significance of the Problem Studied 4 c. Background Information 6 III. Procedures and Research Methods Used a. Description of Secondary Research 9 b. Description of Primary Research Conducted 11 c. Description of Involvement of Chapter Members and Businesspeople in the Project 14 IV. Findings and Conclusions a. Presentation of Findings, Data to Support Findings 15 b. Presentation of Conclusions, Rationale to Support Conclusions 17 V. Recommendations a. Recommendations Resulting from the Study 19 b. Projected Outcomes from Implementing the Recommendations 21 c. Plan for Implementing the Recommendations 22 d. Evidence that the Project has been presented to the appropriate Business or Government Officials who would Benefit from the Study 25 VI. Appendix 26 VII. Bibliography 30

Upload: alexander-haar

Post on 16-Jan-2017

172 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: ROVR Manual PDF

Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary 1

II. Introduction a. Statement of Problem Conducted 2 b. Significance of the Problem Studied 4 c. Background Information 6

III. Procedures and Research Methods Used a. Description of Secondary Research 9 b. Description of Primary Research Conducted 11 c. Description of Involvement of Chapter Members and

Businesspeople in the Project 14 IV. Findings and Conclusions

a. Presentation of Findings, Data to Support Findings 15 b. Presentation of Conclusions, Rationale to Support

Conclusions 17 V. Recommendations

a. Recommendations Resulting from the Study 19 b. Projected Outcomes from Implementing the

Recommendations 21 c. Plan for Implementing the Recommendations 22 d. Evidence that the Project has been presented to the

appropriate Business or Government Officials who would Benefit from the Study 25

VI. Appendix 26 VII. Bibliography 30

Page 2: ROVR Manual PDF

  1  

I. Executive Summary The Problem: On October 19, 1998 Mike Preston was a 16-year-old Coloradan who had just received his driver’s license. Mike never made it home, he died in his fatal crash just hours later. That same day, 3 other teens were killed in car accidents across the nation. These tragic accidents occur daily all over the nation. Every year over 3,000 teenage drivers will not come home due to fatal crashes, and 300,000 will be involved in serious accidents. Dangerous teenage driving is an epidemic responsible for 35% of teen deaths every year. Through extensive research and studies, the Creative Marketing Team at Cherry Creek High School has found a cure to put this epidemic of teen drivers into remission. The Realtime Onboard Vehicle Reporting System, ROVR, relays important information regarding the driver’s habits, and current GPS positioning, and presents a scorecard analyzing their driving behavior based on the average number of incidents per hour. From this report generated by the ROVR, a driver can improve the safety of their driving. ROVR tracks hard braking events, rapid accelerations, over speeding, and other driving behaviors then ROVR summarizes it into a weekly scorecard. Findings: It was identified to improve driving habits with the ROVR was a monetary incentive and a restrictive disincentive. In one month of ROVR implementation drivers on average saved 2.24 hard braking events down from around 12 events, and .85 rapid acceleration events down from around 3 an hour, although many drivers experienced much greater improvements. Every hard braking event is a narrowly avoided crash. With extended use ROVR can eliminate these dangerous driving habits. Cartasite is a company that provides equipment and data to improve driver safety in the oil and gas industry, but currently does not have a presence in the consumer driver safety market, but ROVR has great potential if introduced to consumers. ROVR would be best marketed through local educational outlets, social media circles, and driver education programs. The ROVR can bring stability and safety to the unpredictable and dangerous environment of the roads. The goal of our project was to find a way in which Cartasite can bring the ROVR to the consumer market to save teen lives. Our goals were to: • Implement ROVR to improve teen driving habits • Establish if there is a market for ROVR • Determine how best to market ROVR In a survey we created we determined that the common teen driving habits are unsafe, but these drivers do not know that their behaviors are dangerous. It was found that the best way to market ROVR was through schools, social media, and drivers education programs.

Page 3: ROVR Manual PDF

  2  

II. Introduction

A. Statement of Problem

Driving is the most dangerous task which

teens must face every day. Vehicle accidents account

for 35% of all teenage deaths between the ages of 16

and 19 due to various risky behaviors.

Teenagers lack the necessary experience to properly operate a vehicle in trying situations,

they overestimate their abilities, have poor judgment, and enter into dangerous situations

that frequently result in serious accidents. Teenagers are also overly susceptible to

distractions that can lead to dangerous situations or accidents.

New teenage drivers lack the necessary skills which keep them safe in the

commuting environment and are extremely susceptible to distractions such as cell phone

use, loud music, and other passengers, which leads to unsafe driving conditions as their

attention is drawn away from the crucial task at hand. Teenage drivers typically exhibit

dangerous driving behaviors such as following too close, speeding, and other

aggressive tendencies. A hard braking event is generated when a driver is following

too close to another vehicle and must quickly brake to avoid a rear-ending. Cars that

Page 4: ROVR Manual PDF

  3  

speed create an environment with a higher risk of a more serious crash. Rapid

accelerations are signs of aggressive driving.

Hard braking and rapid accelerations unnecessarily place drivers into unsafe

driving environments that relate to a higher incidence of accidents because they lack the

necessary skills that come only with extensive experience in safe driving.

Beginner drivers need to be assisted in crossing the bridge from novice drivers to

capable commuters. To accomplish this, teens need to have a 3rd party perspective

analyzing their driving behaviors. If teens are aware of the dangerous decisions they are

making, it is possible to improve upon their poor behaviors and develop safe habits that

will ensure the safe commuting of the driver.

The first months and years for a beginner driver are the most dangerous because

the beginner drivers lack almost any experience, as do not know how to properly behave

in difficult situations. They also lack the skills that driving a motor vehicle requires such

a assessing appropriate following distances, they are easily susceptible to distractions,

and they are completely on their own.

Page 5: ROVR Manual PDF

  4  

B. Significance of the Problem Studied

Around 300,000 teenagers are involved in serious car accidents every year and

about 3,000 result in fatalities according to the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration. This obviously presents a critical problem, and we must prevent this from

continuing. This epidemic of teenage driving accidents, injury, and death must be

addressed immediately so as to keep the streets safer because such a gross loss of life is

unacceptable. The dangerous teen drivers not only put their lives at risk but the lives of

every single person on the road. Teens have caused the deaths of many unsuspecting

bystanders and commuters who were not exhibiting dangerous behaviors, but solely were

victims to the dangers of poor decisions and a lack of experiences. Teen drivers between

the ages of 16 and 19 have a crash fatality rate four times greater than older ages groups

(Allstate).

Page 6: ROVR Manual PDF

  5  

Cartasite presents a viable solution to the epidemic of poor teen driving with the

ROVR. Cartasite is a Colorado based company, which is optimized to improve the

safety, security, and efficiency of automobiles. Currently, its real-time tracking and

monitoring devices are equipped in numerous corporation vehicles internationally,

mainly the gas and oil industry. Cartasite’s driving monitoring device the ROVR

(Realtime Onboard Vehicle Reporting System) monitors the dangerous habits of a driver.

By helping the novice drivers by

presenting behavioral trends, they have

the ability to improve their safety by

reducing bad habits. ROVR reports i  

ncidents of bad habits through a weekly

analytical scorecard based on the average

number of events per hour.

As you can see the driver can

track their habits over time, and compare

their results with the best, worst, and

average of all drivers with ROVR implementation. Through a Driver Dashboard the

administrator over any fleet of operational vehicles may view the scores, and habits of

any drivers. The administrator of authorized accounts may view the location of any

vehicle from the WorldView dashboard.

Page 7: ROVR Manual PDF

  6  

C. Background Information

A team of experienced technology executives formed Cartasite in 2004. They

built the industry’s first commercial GIS company (Geographic Information System) –

GeoGraphix. Cartasite currently brings real time intelligence to vehicle fleets all across

the globe, in any environment. Cartasite developed the ROVR monitoring service to

track vehicles and their driving habits. ROVR plugs into the OBD port under the steering

column, present in every car produced since 1996. The On-Board Diagnostics port used

to evaluate a vehicles performance. The moment the ROVR is mounted into the car,

driving is monitored and the data is sent to the driver in a weekly scorecard. WorldView

is cartographic software that displays a fleet’s real time location anywhere on the globe,

updating a cars speed, location, and any event within every ten seconds. A new feature

that has been released by ROVR is cellSAFE. CellSAFE is a program that pairs the

ROVR with the driver’s phone, and inhibits use while the vehicle is in motion. CellSAFE

eliminates the dangerous distractions of phone use while driving, but can be overridden

for emergency calls, but this event is reported on the scorecard.

ROVR can • Monitor hard braking, rapid accelerations, and over speeding

o Built-in accelerometer monitors all movements of the vehicle • Realtime Location

o GPS update the location of the vehicle every ten seconds • Block cellular communications

o CellSafe inhibits phone sue while the vehicle is in motion

Page 8: ROVR Manual PDF

  7  

Cartasite is interested in bringing the ROVR technology to teens as part of the

“Safe Drivers. Safe Roads” campaign. The goal of this campaign is to reach out to

promote better relations and awareness about Cartasite through implementing the device

to local households, to both the parents and teen drivers. If all drivers drove with a ROVR

then our roadways would be safe, and accident free.

The government has begun steps toward creating a safer driving environment for

teens by passing legislation such as the Graduated Drivers License. The Graduated

Drivers License (GDL) has put a start to reducing teen driving accidents by creating a

safe learning environment in which teen drivers can develop driving skills. The GDL

focuses on the early driving experiences of teens, because according to a State Farm

study, teenagers are ten times more likely to be involved in a fatal driving accident during

their first year of driving than any time in their entire life. The GDL was the first step

towards improving teen driving safety on a national level, and so far it has saved

hundreds of lives. It not only has reduced fatal accidents per year, but in the incidents that

never had the opportunity to come into fruition. Although this law has lowered the

number of accidents and deaths on average 10-30%, the rate of teen driving accidents is

still unacceptably high. Many teen drivers feel unsafe when other kids are in the car, 44%

said that they don’t drive as safely with other kids in the car, and 67% said that they feel

unsafe when another teen driver in the car. 40% of teen driving fatalities occurs between

9 p.m. and 6 a.m. (Allstate). Teens are placing their lives, and the lives of others at risk

when they enter a vehicle with other teens.

Page 9: ROVR Manual PDF

  8  

Driving is a difficult skill that requires numerous hours of experience and

extensive instruction to master. Young drivers need to be slowly acclimated to the new

environment. The Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) has been developed and

implemented around the nation in all 50 states to assist young drivers in acquiring the

necessary driver competence. Drivers under 18 go through the graduating licensing

system in order to receive their full privilege license.

1. Supervised Leaner’s Permit

The first stage is the supervised learner’s permit which is received after

successfully completing a driver’s education course and is effective during the first 12

months. This allows the teen to learn rules of the road and receive guidance as they drive.

The supervised learner’s permit allows the driver to drive in a low risk environment as

they are more focused on their driving when accompanied by an adult. In addition, while

the driver is being supervised they are a lot less likely to speed, drive aggressively, and

violate traffic rules.

2. Intermediate License

The second stage is an intermediate license that

is granted after completing the mandatory amount of 50

hours of day and 10 hours night driving. It is easier for

the driver to adjust to the distraction of other passengers

if they are allowed to experience independent driving

for six months after their learner’s permit before they

are allowed one underage passenger.

Page 10: ROVR Manual PDF

  9  

3. Graduated License

Lastly, once the driver has completed the learner’s permit and the intermediate

license they receive their graduated license. Where drivers are granted all driving

privileges of regular driver. The graduated license allows the driver to begin full-time

driving with safe driving experience. The graduated license effective and safer way for

novice drivers to learn the rules of the road.

Colonel Mark Trostel, who was a key advocate for the GDL and was elemental in

passing the legislation for the GDL, commented that the GDL is extremely effective at

reducing unsafe teen driving behaviors. Col. Trostel was the Chief of Colorado State

Patrol for 24 years. He is grateful of the Graduated Drivers License, but believes more

can be done to improve driver safety. Col. Trostel commented that the next step to

improve teen driver safety it to implement ROVRs into the cars of adolescent drivers.

This is the last step in ensuring that teens drive safely because they would have continued

supervision during their beginning months of having their licenses.

III. Procedures and Research Methods Used

A. Description of Secondary Research Conducted

Secondary research is an effective method of obtaining information because it is

cost efficient and readily available through many outlets such as studies, Internet

research, and other media sources. The secondary research we utilized were case studies,

articles from the Internet, and the Cartasite website for our better understanding of the

problem.

Page 11: ROVR Manual PDF

  10  

Case studies provided valuable sources of quantitative information pertaining to

driving incidents, statistical data, and how numerical information was obtained. These

studies also analyzed the information into usable data from which habits can be derived,

behaviors can be analyzed, and generalities can be formed. We drew our research from

studies carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),

various insurance companies, and a case study by EnCana Oil and Gas. The studies were

thorough and had a common consensus that teen driving is a dangerous epidemic

plaguing America’s roads.

The Internet provided articles with reliable information on teen driving. NHTSA’s

website consisted of great statistics and studies deriving from observations of teen driving

tendencies and statistical information regarding accidents. The Internet presented many

startling statistics and data regarding teen driving accidents and crash rates. The most

motivational method for teens to improve behavior is through peer pressure. From this we

can derive that teenagers need peer pressure from their community and environment to

drive safer because if safe driving is the acceptable norm, then teens will feel pressured to

conform. Through encouragement from close friends and family and multimedia

saturation the teens will more willingly receive the message and accept the advice.

From www.cartasite.com further information on the company and the ROVR

were obtained. Cartasite is the sponsoring company of the study and from the website,

executive summary and interviews with David Armitage (CEO), information was

gathered on background knowledge and active programs.

An EnCana Case Study: “EnCana Implements Successful Driving Safety and

Page 12: ROVR Manual PDF

  11  

IVMS Program” provided information on a study carried out regarding the ROVR and

the reward stimulus strategies used to improve driving behavior among its employees.

According to an EnCana Oil & Gas case study, when driving a vehicle more

conservatively in the manner which the ROVR driving behavior ideals promotes, a

vehicle can operate with a 20% improved fuel economy. By driving more economically,

drivers save businesses thousands of dollars of fuel. So far the ROVR has saved 7,000

gallons of fuel because cars are driving more economically by avoiding over speeding

and rapid acceleration events. Rapid acceleration burns more fuel and is more costly to

drivers because of the wear and tear on the vehicles. The 7,000 gallons of fuel saved

translates to 137,200 lbs. of CO2 because for every gallon of fuel saved, 19.6 lbs. of CO2

is kept from being expelled into the environment. By applying the ROVR and the

ROVR+ in the field, Cartasite has been able to have an extremely beneficial and

extensive impact on the world. The implementation of ROVR caused significant overall

trend among drivers towards safer driving behaviors. The events of hard braking events

per hour decreased, rapid acceleration events decreased, idling time decreased, drivers

scoring under 80 decreased, the number of drivers scoring over 90 increased, and overall,

every single score significantly increased.

B. Description of Primary Research Conducted

Primary research is original primary data obtained. In our research, we

conducted a study from members from our chapter, a survey for the chapter members,

and interviews with the CEO of Cartasite, and a North American energy producer,

EnCana Oil and Gas.

Page 13: ROVR Manual PDF

  12  

1. Experimental Study

Our study consisted of a study group of ten of our chapter members to monitor

driving behaviors and patterns of improvement. Cartasite provided ten ROVRs for us to

implement in each of the driver’s vehicles. The ten drivers drove with the ROVR in their

car for four weeks aspiring to be awarded the cash prizes for high driving scores. The

participants willingly agreed to be in the study in an unprecedented attempt to monitor

the driving behaviors of a group of teenagers with quantitative data based on actual

behavior. The results of each of the drivers were represented in scores out of 100, a 100

being the best and a 50 being the worst. The scores decreased as the drivers made errors

such as hard braking and rapid accelerations. The drivers that scored over 90 were

awarded 10 dollars, and the drivers who obtained a score of 95 or higher earned 20

dollars for their efforts. The study lasted for one month in order to observe how the

immediate effects of the ROVR driving system would affect driving behaviors. The first

week, we did not offer cash prizes and we asked the test subjects to drive normally to set

a baseline for our study. After the first week, we asked them to attempt to improve their

driving. Each driver received a weekly scorecard analyzing that week’s habits and

incidents. The scorecards displayed the number of hard braking per hour, number of rapid

acceleration per hour, and the number of time spent traveling over the speed of 75 m.p.h.

The max speed was 75 M.P.H. because that is the commonly recognized maximum

speed. These scorecards allowed for the drivers to reflect on that week’s driving, and

create goals of improvement for the next week. The individual’s scores were presented as

scorecards emailed to each individual and a dashboard overview was presented to us.

Shown on the following page is an example graph of a study driver’s month-long driving.

Page 14: ROVR Manual PDF

  13  

2. Survey

A survey was circulated to create a poll on teen driving habits and behaviors, as

well as thoughts on driving. We distributed 100 copies to the Marketing I, the 11th grade

class, and Marketing II, the 12th grade classes. The survey consisted of a few basic

questions regarding driving behavior.

These questions focused on the amount of confidence the drivers believe to have

and the common errors drivers make. The goal was to determine how many drivers

believe they drive proficiently and how highly they regard their own driving.

19.67 21.59

10 9.7

2.26 1 1.6 0.8

3-­‐‑Dec

4-­‐‑Dec

5-­‐‑Dec

6-­‐‑Dec

7-­‐‑Dec

8-­‐‑Dec

9-­‐‑Dec

10-­‐‑D

ec

11-­‐‑D

ec

12-­‐‑D

ec

13-­‐‑D

ec

14-­‐‑D

ec

15-­‐‑D

ec

16-­‐‑D

ec

17-­‐‑D

ec

18-­‐‑D

ec

19-­‐‑D

ec

20-­‐‑D

ec

21-­‐‑D

ec

22-­‐‑D

ec

23-­‐‑D

ec

24-­‐‑D

ec

Typical  Improvement  with  ROVR Hard  Brakes Rapid  Starts

Survey 1. Are you a better than average driver? 2. Would you be willing to improve your driving habits for money? 3. Do you often find yourself slamming on the brakes or slamming on the accelerator? 4. Do you often drive five or more miles over the speed limit?

 

Page 15: ROVR Manual PDF

  14  

3. Interviews

We interviewed influential leaders in the driving safety world. We interviewed the

CEO of Cartasite David Armitage to inform us about the ROVR and his plan for a safer

driving environment. David Armitage developed the ROVR in order to bring stability and

safety to the roads of the oil and gas industry, but now Mr. Armitage and Cartasite want

to bring this safety to the consumer market. The applications of ROVR in the consumer

market to improve safety are vast. The primary goal of the ROVR is to improve the

habits of a driver for a safer driving environment.

Another businessman we interviewed was Col. Mark Trostel, the Director of

Driver Safety at EnCana; EnCana is one of the largest natural gas producers in North

America. EnCana Oil and Gas saw a 55% reduction in accidents within the first year of

implementing ROVR with an expected decline to 60% to 70%. The rapid improvement of

safe driving was catalyzed by two accidents in 2009 that brought a cold realty to light that

they could prevent these accidents by improving their personal habits, so as to keep

others on the road and to keep themselves on the road. EnCana is grateful for ROVR for

saving lives and improving the safety of their business.

C. Involvement of Chapter Members and Businesspeople

Our research involved many DECA members from our chapter, Cherry Creek

High School, and local businessmen. It is important to involve many members of the

DECA community as well as local businesses in creating a study because they tend to

contribute accurate and reliable results, while creating a positive image in the

surrounding community.

Page 16: ROVR Manual PDF

  15  

As mentioned in the previous section, ten members from our Marketing I course

participated in the study to observe teenage driving habits. Their participation assisted us

in developing strong evidence to back up our research and introduce new aspects to how

ROVR is marketed. The members were assigned to recognize their weaknesses in their

driving, and then to strive to improve on them to increase their ROVR score and

ultimately driving safer. Their participation was elemental in assessing the driving

patterns of teenage drivers, and the results found was likely be repeated in an size study.

The involvement of businessmen is important because it is crucial to have credible

sources to support our research. We interviewed David Armitage and Mark Trostel for

further information on the ROVR and teen driving. David Armitage also provided us with

the ROVRs used for the study and the reward money we used as the incentive.

IV. Findings and Conclusions

A. Presentation of Findings

Study group findings averaged a four percent improvement over only a four-week

period; this is a change in driving from mediocre to exemplary driving. Through the

study driving incidents on average fell: .85 events per hour for rapid acceleration and

2.24 for hard braking events. Hard braking is an opportunity for an accident that is

narrowly avoided, reducing this rate by two events per hour reduces two potential

accidents. This was a trend demonstrated throughout the majority of the subjects as they

progressed through the study. However, some drivers did not follow a steady trend of

improvement because a lack of determination and motivation to improve their driving.

Page 17: ROVR Manual PDF

  16  

The survey was the keystone in assessing the opinion of driving habits from a

broad spectrum of teen drivers from the novice drivers with less than a year of experience

to the more experienced teen drivers with up to three years of experience. The survey

offered a sample of typical teenagers and their perceived driving abilities. Many did not

believe that they exhibited certain bad habits, but every person exhibits these habits.

9.22 10.3

7.35 6.98

4.254

6.4 5.38

3.4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12 #/  hout

Average  of  Test  group

Hard  Braking

Rapid  Starts

Yes No

44%56%

Do you believe that you are a better than average driver? Females

9%

91%

Do you believe that you are a better than average driver? Males

Yes  No  

Yes  No  

69%

31%

Do you often find yourself slamming on the accelerator or slamming on the brakes?

12%

88%

Do you often speed five or more miles over the speed limit?

Yes  No  

Page 18: ROVR Manual PDF

  17  

Marketing I Males Yes / No

Marketing I Females Yes / No

Marketing 2 Males Yes / No

Marketing 2 Females Yes / No

Do you believe you are a better than average driver?

21 3 33 26 13 1 18 6

Would you be willing to improve your driving for money?

13 8 25 5 12 2 10 19

Do you often find yourself slamming on the accelerator

or slamming on the brake?

2 17 11 18 4 10 8 11

Do you often drive five or more miles over the speed limit?

19 1 26 3 13 1 15 5

From this data we can conclude that teenage drivers have overconfidence in their driving

that puts them at risk because they do not believe that they have any problems that

require correction.

B. Presentation of Conclusion, Rationale to Support Conclusions

The month long study presented great data for our research. First, the monetary

incentive was the carrot for which the drivers drove carefully and improved their driving

behavior in order to obtain better scores. Initially, subjects received average scores in the

80s but as the study progressed and they were able to identify areas in which to improve

their scores, and many improved their scores in aspirations of attaining a higher score, for

which a higher prize was awarded. Although many participants focused on improving

their scores because of the allure of the reward of a cash prize, others lost their

determination and did not focus on driving better. The solution to the drivers who did not

Page 19: ROVR Manual PDF

  18  

improve their driving because the score of a 90 seemed unattainable was rewarding any

improvement in driving. Every single subject’s driving score increased when rewarding

improvement was put into effect. The reward system for improvement was two dollars

for every point of increase in the 80s and three dollars improvement for every point in the

90s. This was effective because it encouraged even the smallest improvement, and

encourages driving improvement after the score of 95, one student improved to a 98

when rewarding improvement was instated.

The lack of a disincentive led to many drivers no longer attempting to improve

and drove poorly. One participant said that he would drive better if his parents were

aware of his their behaviors because the score of 90 or better seemed unattainable, so

they fell into old habits driving because of the potential punishment of his parents

rescinding his driving privileges. This one-sided test with only an incentive and lacking a

disincentive was helpful in determining the two biggest motivators for safe driving. A

monetary incentive would lead to participants improving their driving, and the

disincentive of punishment for poor driving habits if revealed to parents.

The survey concluded that teens have very little awareness of their driving. 69%

of teens could not identify a hard braking or rapid acceleration even though they with out

doubt commit these errors. A startling 88% of drivers habitually speed over five miles an

hour. The scariest part is 91% of males and 56% of females believe they drive above than

average, which is statistically impossible. The drivers cannot identify their mistakes, so

without aide they cannot fix these mistakes.

Page 20: ROVR Manual PDF

  19  

Drivers that could identify their problem areas were able to improve their habits.

This was observed with the drivers in the study. They were able to identify problem areas

and improve. The driver’s ability to see mistakes allows them to solve them and drive

safer.

V. Recommendations

A. Recommendations resulting from the study

From our findings and data, we have concluded that the ROVR will have its most

success by developing into the consumer market. The primary target for ROVR is

parents, but secondly teens. Parents will buy the ROVR for the security and piece of

mind that it gives them knowing that their child is safe. Teens would want the ROVR

because of the numerous incentives and perks it brings.

II. Parents

Parents are the ones who are going to purchase the ROVR and enforce the use of

it. Due to the benefits of ROVR in regards to the pledge system, 3rd party incentives, and

the competition among peers, a teen driver will ask their parents to install ROVRs in their

cars. When a few parents become aware of the ROVR word of mouth, marketing will

spread product awareness throughout the teen community and parenting community,

eventually reaching every person in a high school, neighborhood, or community. The

owners of a ROVR will sell others on the benefits, and how it improves their driving, and

helps ensure that then arrive home safely.

Page 21: ROVR Manual PDF

  20  

1. Social Media

ROVR would create quite a presence on social media outlets because parents can

easily access information on the ROVR. On social media sites such as Twitter or

Facebook users would have the ability to discuss the ROVR with other parents

spreading product knowledge among the parental community.

2. Education

Promoting the ROVR through schools would be effective because Cartasite could

access a broad audience of teens and parents. Promoting throughout schools would foster

the ideal environment for parents and teens to share knowledge and information in a

place frequented often by both parties.

I. Teenagers

Teenagers are the #1 most dangerous and accident-prone drivers of any age; the

ROVR will be most effective when utilized by the worst drivers. The NHTSA concluded

that the best method of delivering information over driver safety to teenage drivers was

through multimedia systems from TV, Internet, radio, and billboards. These methods

were concluded to be the most effective because teenage drivers spend a majority of their

time with the radio on, the TV on, or accessing the Internet. To reach the teen drivers

there are some ways to promote the ROVR such as:

1. Promoting throughout high schools.

Promoting the ROVR in schools will create huge awareness of the ROVR and its

safety benefits directly to the teenage drivers. Promoting the ROVR in schools can create

competition between students and other schools that encourages the students to drive

Page 22: ROVR Manual PDF

  21  

even better.

2. Create presence in the social network.

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are the new technological trends

especially within the teenage group, and if we can spread news about the ROVR on the

Internet, it will spread rapidly. These groups and online clubs have already begun at

companies implementing ROVR, and spur on friendly competition among co-workers,

and the key element is that an individual can make a competition or a club to share with

their friends.

3. Implementing the ROVR into driver’s education programs.

All drivers under the age of 18 are required to take some form of driver’s

education classes (this is for all states enforcing the GDL). If we can get these classes to

utilize ROVRs during their instructional drives and also recommending them to the

students, Cartasite will greatly expand its market.

B. Projected Outcomes

If our recommendations are implemented, Cartasite will increase the sale of

ROVRs, teen drivers will drive safer, lives will be saved, and money will be saved.

Through the advertising of the ROVR in schools, social networks, and promotion through

driver’s education programs, the ROVR will gain presence resulting to an increase in

sales and profits. Also, ROVR will be marketed to parents by creating a presence in

schools, social, and driving programs. Teens will drive much safer when they follow the

incentives program and adopt exemplary driving behavior. Great driving habits will

prevent incidents and be carried on through life. With great driving behavior comes a

Page 23: ROVR Manual PDF

  22  

reduced amount of accidents and incidents. As exemplary driving is followed, more and

more lives will be saved and injuries prevented. With the reduced frequency of accidents

and crashes, money and vehicles will be saved and will repay for the value of the ROVR.

Money will also be saved through the reduced usage of gas, creating a secondary

incentive to drive well.

C. Plan for Implementing the Recommendations

1. Promoting throughout high schools

Distributing posters, and banner advertising around schools would create

widespread awareness through schools, especially if the posters came with brochures

centralized around the main offices. Sending emails to the parents of teen high school

students would be effective at raising awareness at very little cost. Cartasite should

sponsor a Teen Safe Driver Week to raise awareness among students. Also Cartasite

brought in a safe driver speaker on Back-to-School night to raise product awareness

among the parents of teen drivers.

2. Create presence in the social network

On social networking sites, competitive groups can be created to spur on

competition between users as well as offer prizes for the winner of the highest score for

the week. Competition between peers is a critical element for this project to succeed and

utilizing social networks is the best gateway to competition because teens motivate and

encourage each other through friendly competition. Creating a ROVR page on Facebook,

where information and benefits about the ROVR is posted, is a simple method to increase

awareness. Another strategy is to bring the existence of the ROVR to Twitter and gain

Page 24: ROVR Manual PDF

  23  

followers to read the tweets we post.

Cartasite recently acquired www.teensafedriver.com, which currently receives

over 10 million unique visitors a month, and this, would be an excellent place to host

contests and forum to promote ROVR.

Cartasite would be wise to enter negotiations with 4Square because the location

based coupon service could offer incentives at local restaurants based on an individual’s

driving score. Drivers would have motivation to improve their driving in order to take

advantage of deals from local vendors.

3. Driver’s education programs

Distributing the ROVR to driver’s education programs to use and to sell to

parents will increase profit and awareness for Cartasite and the ROVR. Driver education

institutions would be effective methods to raise awareness among brand new drivers, and

give parents of the new drivers a safe manner of monitoring them as they become

accustomed to driving. Allowing driving instructors to drive with and promote ROVRs

would create excellent brand awareness among beginner drivers and their parents. Also,

brochures and ROVRs in driver’s education buildings and DMVs (Department of Motor

Vehicles) will create presence amongst teens and parents who are new to the driving

environment. It would be a reassurance for parents as they release their children into the

dangerous and unprotected environment of the road.

Page 25: ROVR Manual PDF

  24  

4. Publicity

Promoting of ROVR through television and radio would be effective at reaching

teens and parents throughout the day. In the car radio advertising would be effective

because the majority of drivers listen to the radio while driving, and there could not be a

more perfect time to deliver the message of driving safely than when driving. Public

service announcements would effectively deliver the message of safe driving. Radio is an

effective medium because it is cost effective because the CPM is relatively low and it

reaches many teens in their dangerous environment and delivers the method. The

message delivered can be applied immediately and remind the drivers, and any listeners

to drive carefully, and an effective aide for safer driving is the ROVR.

5. Press Releases and Interviews

Press releases are effective at delivering the message of safe driving through

ROVR application. Press releases are an inexpensive way to reach a wide audience for

little to now cost. Interviews are also an effective way of spreading the word of ROVR

because the interviewers do the majority of the work and it is at no cost to the company.

During our study Cartasite released a press release that appeared on over 400 newspapers

and websites nationwide bringing great publicity. On December 26 Keaton Skudneski

conducted an interview with The Denver Post, which printed on January 3rd and was seen

throughout Colorado bringing publicity to Cartasite at no cost.

On January 11th Keaton Skudneski will be host an interview with Fox news over ROVR.

Page 26: ROVR Manual PDF

  25  

D. Evidence the Project has been Presented to the Appropriate Business

and/or Government Officials who would Benefit from the Study

The Cherry Creek High School Creative Marketing Project Team presented

research, recommendations, and a plan to implement the recommendations to David

Armitage on January 8, 2013 in a meeting. Presented is an outline of the meeting:

I. Statement of the Problem

II. Research a. Driving Study Results

i. Participants ii. Scorecards

iii. Winnings iv. Improvements v. Conclusions

b. Driving Survey i. Participants

ii. Questions iii. Results iv. Conclusions

III. Recommendations and Projected Outcome

a. Brand Awareness i. Advertising in Schools

1. Promoting Contests 2. School Websites 3. ROVR Club

ii. Driver Educations Programs 1. Instructor Promoting 2. Introduce as Part of the Program

iii. Social Media 1. Competitive Groups 2. ROVR Website

iv. Publicity 1. Press releases 2. Interviews

IV. Implementation a. Advertising in Schools

Page 27: ROVR Manual PDF

  26  

i. Sponsor Driver Safety Weeks ii. Speaker on Back-to-School Night

b. Distribute ROVRs to Driving Instructors i. Loan ROVRs to companies for instructors to try and recommend to

parents ii. Place brochures in the buildings

c. Social Media i. Sponsor ROVR groups on Facebook

ii. Create a Competitive Website d. Press Releases

i. Send weekly press releases on successes of ROVR with teens ii. Keep the media informed of any contests or activities

iii. Conduct interviews with local news stations and newspapers

VII. Appendix

In addition to the ROVR, Cartasite has other beneficial products/features that bring

safety to teenage drivers.

• GlobalTag- GlobalTag is a GPS (Global Positioning System) that can locate a

GlobalTag equipped vehicle anywhere in the world. GlobalTag can be placed on any

piece of equipment to monitor the functionality or location anywhere in the world.

• CellSAFE- cellSAFE is a feature within the ROVR that blocks the use of cellphones

when a vehicle is in motion. Teenagers have a dangerous habit of talking and texting on a

phone while driving, and this feature will reduce many accidents and will save many

lives by eliminating many distractions.

• SPOT- SPOT is a GPS device, used by corporations, that has no dead spots and works

as an S.O.S device and a tracker. Any user can request help or send out an S.O.S, and all

recipients and emergency dispatchers will receive the message for appropriate action. The

S.O.S. feature will call in all types of aide from the National Guard to the police of fire

department, and they will spend up to $250,000 to find and rescue the user. Users can

Page 28: ROVR Manual PDF

  27  

check in, update progress, and share your location to a recipient of your choice.

• Cartasite released a press release regarding our study and our Marketing Project

Denver, Colorado (December 13, 2012) – While most students are finishing up finals and looking forward to the holiday vacation, a handful of juniors at Cherry Creek High School are working hard to complete a six-week research project measuring and profiling each others’ driving habits. By leveraging innovative technology from a local company, Cartasite, their goal is to see if they can influence young drivers to be safer behind the wheel.

Students enrolled in Cherry Creek’s DECA program are experimenting with a driver safety system called ROVR® that has been deployed in commercial fleets worldwide. DECA is an academic competition that teaches creative marketing and entrepreneurial skills to students around the globe. Supported by Cartasite as part of the company’s “Safe Driver, Safe Roads” initiative, the students have installed ROVR in the cars of a number of volunteer participants. ROVR has been recording the students’ driving habits, including rapid acceleration, hard-breaking incidents and speeding, for the past several weeks. “The Safe Driver, Safe Roads campaign will provide an innovative way to help keep our teen drivers safe through education and incentives,” says Governor Hickenlooper.

“The ROVR scorecards have proven remarkably effective in reducing MVI rates on some of the largest commercial fleets worldwide. Drivers actually compete for the highest score and earn rewards for driving safely” noted David Armitage, CEO of Cartasite.

Keaton Skudneski, a Cherry Creek Junior and leader of the DECA team that has deployed the ROVR, commented, “We thought we might be able to use the same approach with teen drivers that Cartasite has taken with commercial fleets. Our hope is that we can get kids to drive more safely by providing them with feedback about their driving. Cartasite not only gave us the ROVRs to use for this project, they also funded a “Safe Driver, Safe Roads” reward program.”

Keaton went on to note, “The program still has a few weeks to go, but the results confirm that young drivers can and will adjust their behavior behind the wheel. We have been working closely with Cartasite to tailor the ROVR Scorecard to the teen audience. Kids are motivated to drive safer because it is fun to compete with their peers and they like the rewards program which provides participants with free gas money.”

Inspired by the initial results, Cartasite is now considering broadening this program to include more high schools across the state. According to the Center for Disease Control, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 16-19 year olds. “We are confident we can lower this tragic statistic by scoring driver behavior and creating an environment of constructive competition between teens,” explains David Armitage, chief executive officer for Denver-based Cartasite, developer of the ROVR system. “This approach has proven very successful for commercial fleets. With the help of the DECA team at Cherry

Page 29: ROVR Manual PDF

  28  

Creek High School we are hoping to bring the system to young drivers.”

• The Denver Post posted an article over our Creative Marketing Project in YourHub

I. Cherry  Creek  High  School  students  test  device  that  monitors  driving  A group of Cherry Creek High School students may determine the development of a commercial product meant to help people drive more safely.

The company Cartasite, based out of Denver, originally developed devices to track vehicles for oil and gas companies. After feedback from the industry, the company began making ROVR devices that would monitor driving behavior to reduce the number of crashes. Then CEO David Armitage met with then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and got the idea to track Denver’s fleet for a study and ultimately found the devices increased fuel economy efficiency by 14 or 15 percent.

This year Armitage heard DECA students at Cherry Creek High School were interested in a device like ROVR to see if they could improve teen driving.

“What could be a greater legacy than for us to reduce the crash rate among teenagers, and it’s among the most risky thing they face is to get behind a car,” Armitage said. “It’s a very sobering moment for us parents so the idea that kids would want to work on a program to help keep kids safe, that’s brilliant.”

Armitage’s stepson, Keaton Skudneski, who’s 17 and a junior at Cherry Creek High School, is leading this DECA test group. He said he installed a ROVR device in his car two years ago and has seen a marked improvement in his driving, which is shown in the form of a scorecard every week.

The study was conducted over six weeks that ended last week. Skudneski implemented some incentives for the other three drivers in the study that he had set up with his parents. For example, if the teens got 90 or above on the scorecard, they would get $10, and they’d get $20 if they were 95 or above. He said one student made $86 during the six weeks.

“I can see my friends improving their driving and how they’re keeping the road safer, and if they’re driving safer they’re not creating an unsafe driving environment for my friends without the rover,” Skudneski said.

The device is about the size of a half a deck of cards that plugs into the car’s on-board diagnostics port and monitors minor accelerations, hard braking and other driving behaviors that cause poor fuel economy and can lead to accidents.

The device streams up to 40 transactions per second over a cellular network and then to a data center.

Page 30: ROVR Manual PDF

  29  

The overall goal of the DECA project, Skudneski said, was to find out how Cartasite could bring this device into the consumer market. Armitage said a consumer product could sell for as low as $100 a device and $15 a month for the monitoring service.

• A ROVR Scorecard

Page 31: ROVR Manual PDF

  30  

Bibliography

“Century Council." Drunk Driving Statistics. The Century Council, n.d. Web. 20 Dec.

2012.

"Colorado News." And Denver News: The Denver Post. Denver Post, n.d. Web. 20 Dec.

2012.

Gale, B. R., and M. V. Trostel. "Case Study: EnCana Implements Successful Driving

Safety and IVMS Program." EnCana Oil and Gas Inc., 2011. Web.

Harp, Kelley. "Jury Still out on Teen Driving Limits." And Denver News: The Denver

Post. Denver Post, 2000. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.

Jauhari, Nurudin. "Safety Culture Plus." Safety Culture Plus RSS. Safety Culture Plus,

n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Meinhardt, Eve. "Fort Bragg Police Increase Cell Phone Enforcement." Paraglide

Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2013.

"Q&A: Teenagers - Graduated Driver Licensing." IIHS-HLDI. Institution for Driver

Safety, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Safe Driving Resources." The Facts About Teen Driving. Allstate, n.d. Web. 20 Dec.

2012.

"Support National Teen Driver Safety Week Now." Teen-to-Teen Campaign At Your

School. Teen Driver Source, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Toyota Agrees to Pay Record $17.35 Million in Civil Penalties." Home. United States

Department of Transportation, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Woullard, Clayton. "Cherry Creek High School Students Test Device That Monitors

Driving." Yourhub.com. The Denver Post, 3 Jan. 2013. Web. 3 Jan. 2013.