Developing a Smartphone APP to Enhance Older Driver Safety

Description: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). NHTSA’s mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce traffic-related health care and other economic costs. The agency develops, promotes, and implements educational, engineering, and enforcement programs aimed at preventing tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel.

NHTSA has been directed by Congress (below) to explore the efficacy of smartphone applications (APPs) as an intervention for older drivers. Congressional staff expressed a particular interest in Road Coach, a smart phone APP originally developed to reduce risky driving in teens. This interest was galvanized by findings from the Older Driver Support System Field Operational Test, which tested the effects of the APP on a sample of 28 participants with an average age of 69.5 years.

Libby and colleagues reported that RoadCoach use resulted in reduced hard braking events and stop sign violations. Participants’ attitudes toward RoadCoach were generally positive, although several users reported that the APP’s thresholds for detecting hard braking and stop sign violations were overly sensitive. The Committee remains concerned about the safety of older drivers and sees promise in the development of tools that can prolong safe and independent mobility.

The Committee would like to see more widespread testing of tools such as app-based software that provides in-vehicle assistance to elderly drivers. The Committee applauds NHTSA’s current work on smart phone interventions for older drivers and directs NHTSA to carry out a pilot program in coordination with a university or multi-university consortia for such software in order to develop a framework that facilitates mobility for elderly drivers.

In a recent study, Peterson and colleagues found that APPs can reduce some risky driving behaviors, but most existing APPs target behaviors more typical of younger drivers and are therefore poorly aligned with the crash risk profile of older drivers. The study produced a list of feasible APP features that map to driving tasks that can be risky for older drivers.

For example, an APP that proactively alerts older drivers to approaching changes in the driving environment (e.g., speed limit transitions, sharp curves, complex intersections) or by offering route options that avoid high-demand maneuvers (like unprotected left turns), could meaningfully reduce exposure to high-risk situations for these drivers. For this project, the Contractor shall design, develop, and pilot test an APP that supports older drivers by reducing their cognitive workload.

This APP will assist older drivers in avoiding risky traffic situations, such as unprotected left turns, and alert them to upcoming changes in the driving environment, like speed limit changes or sharp curves. After developing the APP, the Contractor shall design a field operational test (FOT) to document its effects on older adults’ driving habits and performance.

The Contractor shall also provide a draft information collection request (ICR) with supporting documents, Federal Register Notices, and Privacy Threshold Assessment documents for the subsequent study design. Final deliverables shall include the final version of the APP and a final report that describes the APP’s purpose, development process, the naturalistic driving study design, along with supporting documents.

Solicitation Information: This acquisition is full and open competition NAICS code 541720, Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Contractors must be registered in the Systems for Award Management Database, which is located at https://sam.gov/ in order to be considered for contract award. Only one (1) award Contract shall be issued.

Any contract resulting from the solicitation, with or without discussions, to the responsible offeror whose proposal, conforming to the solicitation, will be based on what is most advantageous to the Government based on the evaluation factors contained in the solicitation. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to monitor the https://sam.gov/ for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential Offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Requests for paper copies of the RFP will not be accepted. The estimated date for release of the solicitation is on or about Feburary 2026.