03/28/2019
Each year the Ohio Department of Transportation hires about 350
drivers to plow, salt and maintain roads for the winter season. Some of
these drivers are experienced vets, but many of them come with little or
no experience driving large snowplows.
Maintaining safe roadways in these icy and snowy months is crucial for minimizing car accidents and fatalities. But this job is dangerous, and only so many drivers return each season. Each year, right around when Old Man Winter rears his ugly head, Ohio is left with a very small number of seasoned full-time drivers to plow highways and roads. Finding ways to effectively train new drivers for the winter months is becoming increasingly difficult.
Two professors at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science are using technology and innovation to solve this icy problem. Jiaqi Ma, Ph.D., and Julian Wang, Ph.D., recently received a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation. Associate Professor Ming Tang, from UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), is also co-principal investigator on the grant. The central aim for all three is to enhance training for new drivers using driving simulators…