News

Thomas A. Horan , Ph.D. and Brian Hilton, Ph.D.

Published on Saturday, August 15, 2009

Over the past year, a research team based in the School of Information Systems and Technology, and led by Associate Professor Tom Horan, has been developing a groundbreaking website called SafeRoadMaps (www.saferoadmaps.org) as part of a partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Excellence in Rural Safety

 

The site has multiple uses. The general public will be able to identify hot zones for urban and rural roads where the most crashes have been recorded, and plan their trips accordingly. Safety officials can use the information tools to craft policies and better manage traffic safety in their areas; and new drivers can use the site as an educational tool.

 

Most Californians think of their state as urban, but more than three-quarters of a million people live in rural areas of California, and millions of drivers pass through rural areas on commutes and on leisure trips everyday. US Census statistics also show that 57 percent of highway deaths occur in rural areas. California is second only to Florida in the identified hot zones for rural and urban fatalities on the highway.

 

CERS Research Director and CGU Professor Tom Horan cautioned, “Drivers need to be extra alert in rural regions, even in the most populous urban states. With the work that our national CGU team did on this project, we have created an informational tool that allows the average person to make better choices, and that will save lives.

 

SafeRoadMaps.org.  A national map of rural and urban traffic safety hot zones is available today at: www.saferoadmaps.org/labs/rural_urban_hz_v1.png 

 

CGU is like no other university in the nation. Founded in 1925, Claremont Graduate University is an independent institution devoted entirely to graduate study. With nine schools and more than 20 degree offerings, CGU is a member of the prestigious Claremont Colleges Consortium. In addition to its degree programs, the School of Information Systems and Technology operates five research laboratories each of which allows Master's and PhD students to become involved in real-world projects, such as SafeRoadMaps.org.
2013 Claremont Graduate University School of Information Systems and Technology 130 E 9th St. Claremont, CA 91711 909-621-8209