Please note that since you are riding your own motorcycle, neither the local site nor the project sponsor are liable for the expenses incurred in any accident you may have. Appropriate automobile insurance is strongly recommended to cover these types of expenses.
In the event of a crash
, you are NOT responsible for damage to the data acquisition equipment in the vehicle.
Participants in a study are considered volunteers, regardless of whether they receive payment for their participation. By law, workers compensation does not apply to volunteers; therefore, the participants are responsible for their own medical insurance for bodily injury. Appropriate health insurance is strongly recommended to cover these types of expenses.
If you should become injured, you should seek medical treatment as you normally would.
As a participant in this research, you are free to withdraw at any time without penalty. If you choose to withdraw, you will be compensated as described in the compensation section. If you choose to end your participation in the study earlier than originally planned, we will need to schedule a time to remove the instrumentation from your motorcycle.
Yes, this research has been approved by several Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) including the IRB from the National Academies.
No, we use automotive grade fasteners and we use existing mounting holes to avoid any damage to your bike. Your motorcycle will be returned to its original state when your participation ends. If any body panels need to be modified for system installation, we will use replacement panels for this and will securely store and reinstall your original panels when you are finished with the study.
Our radar unit is not a radar detector, so it’s perfectly legal. This radar is simply a measurement tool that is used to determine the distance between your car and vehicles in front of your motorcycle.
Because the DAS includes cameras, you should avoid driving your vehicle into any areas where cameras are restricted including international border crossings and certain military installations. There is the potential that you could be detained or arrested if you inadvertently drive into a secure facility. To help minimize this risk, you can show authorities a card we will provide you that you should always keep on your bike. It will explain your motorcycle’s role in the study while still maintaining your privacy and confidentiality
Apart from driving, one of the risks of participation is that the camera system may capture the events leading up to a crash. If law enforcement or other officials question you about the equipment, you can show them a card we will give you that you should always keep with your motorcycle. It will explain your motorcycle’s role in the study while still maintaining your privacy and confidentiality. To help us further protect the privacy of your data, something called a Certificate of Confidentiality has been obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. With this certificate, we can’t be forced, even under subpoena, to disclose to anyone information that may identify you. Identifying information includes things like your name and contact information, video of your face, and GPS location information which may identify your home, work, or school locations. However, if you let it be known that you are in the study, the certificate may not apply. So you should also take responsibility for protecting the fact that you are a participant in this study. You should treat this information in the same way that you would protect other personal, sensitive information, such as bank account numbers, PINs, or computer passwords.
We would like you to be able to participate, but we will need to handle each case differently depending on the amount and type of modifications you have done. Please send us an email at motorcycle@vtti.vt.edu and a researcher will contact you to learn more about your bike. The researcher may ask you to send pictures of your bike over email to help us understand what modifications you have performed.
If you are interested in hearing more about participating in the MSF NDS, please contact us at: 1-540-231-1583 or motorcycle@vtti.vt.edu (please include a call-back number)
