An Analysis of the Necessary Socio-Technical and Ethical Factors Required for Maximizing Road Safety

Despite technological advancements, road fatalities are increasing in the United States, highlighting the need to understand the role of local institutions in implementing safety initiatives. Additionally, approaches to optimizing road safety must be analyzed to minimize road fatalities. My capstone project examines methods to reduce road safety violations among the UVA facilities management vehicle fleet. Through the use of vehicular telematics data, geofencing, and cluster mapping, my capstone team identified hotspots on UVA grounds where safety surrogate measure violations were the greatest. We identified these hotspots and developed location-specific safety recommendations to prevent future violations from occurring. These recommendations included the implementation of higher visibility crosswalks, various signs, speedbumps, and more. To further an understanding of the factors influencing road safety, my STS research analyzes the role of local institutions in implementing safety initiatives. My STS research investigates the case of the New Jersey transportation network and identifies prominent actors responsible for ensuring road safety through the use of Actor-Network Theory. My research presents a greater understanding of the socio-technical factors influencing road safety and the role various organizations play in ensuring that it is achieved. Further investigation into the applications of road safety technology and the interplay between road safety institutions will yield a greater comprehension of the potential methods of ensuring maximal road safety.