"This innovative product has the potential to reduce accidents, injuries and deaths caused by excessive speed, particularly among young drivers," said the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. "The province is a firm supporter of innovative enterprises like Root Four Imagination. By providing the appropriate resources, we can help facilitate their growth and ability to target new markets."

The company was founded by Maurice Tuff, an engineer who also co-founded Blue Line Innovations Inc. of St. John�s. The Lemur Autovision is at the commercial-ready stage. Funding will be used to develop promotional materials and an e-commerce enabled website that will allow the company to initially make direct sales to the public and ultimately to sell through mass retailing outlets in Canada and abroad.

"This affordable device is easy to operate, captures data reliably, and is compact enough to carry on a keychain," says Mr. Tuff. "It readily displays maximum speed, distance traveled and hard braking, information that can only be deleted by inputting a predetermined PIN known only to the driver�s parents. As a group, teenagers tend to be more frequently involved in automobile accidents than older drivers. The product could also be used by operators of commercial fleets to reduce insurance premiums by making drivers more accountable."

The Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Transportation and Works, applauds this initiate to promote safety on the province�s roads.

"Statistics show that 80-90 per cent of vehicle collisions are caused by driver error such as speeding," said Minister Whalen. "This technology is in-line with our government�s ongoing efforts to encourage motorists to reduce their speed and drive safer."

The Business and Market Development Program is designed to provide entrepreneurs and expanding businesses with matching funding to help acquire the necessary expertise to pursue new business ideas and markets. The $1 million program is intended to support new growth opportunities in the economy, such as value-added manufacturing activities and export-oriented opportunities.

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