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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), under the direction of the DOT Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research, Development and Technology (RD&T), conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of engineering treatments to deter vehicles from turning onto a rail right-of-way (ROW) at highway-rail grade […]
Autonomous vehicles have the potential to bring major improvements in highway safety. Motor vehicle crashes caused an estimated 37,133 fatalities in 2017; a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has shown that 94% of crashes are due to human errors. For this reason, federal oversight of the testing and deployment of autonomous […]
This research brief used data from the AAA Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study to examine the role of driving comfort in the self-regulation of driving by older adults. Self-regulation is the process by which individuals modify or adjust their driving patterns by driving less, or intentionally avoiding situations considered challenging. The process of […]
In March 2018, an Uber test vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in the first known fatal crash involving a self-driving car. But prior to that, Uber’s fleet of prototype autonomous cars was involved in 37 crashes, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the federal agency charged with investigating transportation-related accidents. The […]
Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems were designed to protect young novice drivers by creating a safe environment in which to learn to drive and limit exposure to known high-risk conditions until the drivers have amassed at least several months of experience driving. A large body of research has found that GDL systems have substantially reduced […]
Advances in the development of advanced vehicle technologies (AVTs), such as blind spot alerts, lane keep assist, lane alert, and adaptive cruise control, can benefit senior drivers by reducing exposure to hazards and compensating for diminished cognitive abilities sometimes seen in this population. However, the degree to which such benefits can be realized in this […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall that affects more than 50,000 school buses nationwide. Certain models of Thomas Built buses are being recalled for not having enough padding in the back of the seat. The organization says this could increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash. One […]
Each year, the Thanksgiving holiday results in millions of travelers on the road, en route to and from their holiday destination. With your help, NHTSA wants to ensure drivers and their passengers are safe during this special time of year. During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2017, there were 365 passenger vehicle occupants killed in […]
Each year, the Thanksgiving holiday results in millions of travelers on the road, en route to and from their holiday destination. With your help, NHTSA wants to ensure drivers and their passengers are safe during this special time of year. During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2017, there were 365 passenger vehicle occupants killed in […]
Starting Nov. 1, law enforcement in Alabama will start ticketing drivers for violating two new traffic laws. The laws – one requiring back-seat passengers to wear seat belts and the other prohibiting drivers from riding in the left lane for too long– went into effect. Sept. 1. Each of the laws, however, had a 60-day […]