Privacy Policy

Introduction

Road Coach is made available to users participating in the research study: "Identification and Assessment of Preventative Methods to Mitigate Cognitive and Physical Declines Which Influence Driving Performance of Older Drivers".

This privacy policy applies specifically to the Road Coach smartphone application, the data it collects, how the data may be used, and who to contact about questions. This privacy policy does not supersede the information contained in your participant consent form or the guidelines and policies set by the University of Minnesota or its Institutional Review Board.

Data Collection

Road Coach uses your smartphone’s sensors to collect data while you drive in order to provide real-time feedback in support of safe driving behavior. This data is also transmitted to and stored on a secure server operated by the Human Factors Safety Laboratory and the University of Minnesota which enables post processing of data aggregated over the course of the research study.

Location is information provided by your smartphone that includes your position in the world, speed, and heading. It is used to provide localized, real-time feedback about road speed limits and stop signs. It is stored to provide information about your driving behaviors.

Accelerometer data is information provided by your smartphone that includes the forces the phone is experiencing. It is used to identify and provide feedback about excessive maneuvers.

Metadata about your phone is collected which may include device type or model, screen size, or operating system and version. This information is stored to identify hardware demographics and to aid with bug reporting and user support.

Road Coach handles information that you provide to the Human Factors Safety Laboratory as a part of joining the research study. This includes your first and last name, email address, phone number, and phone type.

Data Sharing and Privacy

Data collected by Road Coach is stored securely and protected in accordance with the guidelines and protocols set and approved by the University of Minnesota’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Data that contains personally identifiable information is not shared outside of identified research staff.

This study is covered by a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health. This means that the researchers cannot release or use information, documents, or samples that may identify you in any action or suit unless you say it is okay. They also cannot provide them as evidence unless you have agreed. This protection includes federal, state, or local civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, or other proceedings. An example would be a court subpoena.

Contact Information

If you have a question related to this privacy policy, the Road Coach application itself, or the data collected by the Road Coach application, please contact rdcoach@umn.edu or the contact information provided in your participant consent form.