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Read the latest news and announcements from traffic safety interest groups and about traffic safety topics here.
Work zones may present imminent safety hazards for roadway workers as well as passing motorists due to several factors, including driver distraction, changes in traffic patterns, narrowed rights of way, and general congestion. In addition to safety concerns, work zones, although necessary for roadway construction and maintenance activities, present mobility issues and frustrations for traveling […]
The Transportation Emergency Response Application (TERA) is a scenario-based training system that provides training and exercise scenarios and materials for command-level and operational roles in public transportation agencies, state departments of transportation, and airport emergency operations centers for natural and human-made disaster incidents. TCRP Research Report 253: Transportation Emergency Response Application (TERA): Migration Options Beyond […]
The availability of large-scale, high-resolution, and consistently collected road data will improve the safety of all road users. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and big data is key in providing the information needed to power data-driven, public, and proprietary safety analysis tools, as well as predictive and other systemic safety tools. […]
Tow trucks and other roadside service vehicles (RSVs) must safely operate in a wide range of roadway environments and conditions, from sunny afternoons to combinations of darkness, smoke, fog, rain, and snow. RSV visibility in these diverse operating conditions is paramount and static and flashing emergency or hazard vehicle lighting are common countermeasures to enhance […]
The national estimate of seat belt use by adult front-seat passengers of passenger vehicles in 2024 was 91.2 percent, not statistically different (at the 0.05 level) from 91.9 percent observed in 2023. The seat belt use rate estimate represents the percentage of occupants who are belted during an average daylight moment. Read the results here.
There is widespread material degradation that affects all components of bridges, often limiting their service lives. For reinforced concrete bridge members, that deterioration is predominately caused by corrosion of the internal steel reinforcement. NCHRP Synthesis 641: State DOT Policies and Practices on the Use of Corrosion-Resistant Reinforcing Bars, from TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program, […]
Motor vehicle crash rates for teen drivers during the learner’s permit phase are relatively low and comparable to those of adult drivers. However, once teenagers begin driving independently, the crash risk increases significantly at licensure and remains high during the first few months of solo driving. BTSCRP Research Report 13: Outcomes of Variability in Teen […]
Globally, motor vehicle crashes result in 1.2 million deaths and as many as 50 million non-fatal injuries each year. Many crashes can be prevented by reducing risky driving behaviors such as speeding, hard braking, rapid acceleration, and handheld phone use. Innovations in smartphone telematics enable these behaviors to be measured, paving the way for scalable […]
For more than 75 years, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has carried out various work to fulfill its mission of preventing traffic deaths and injuries by conducting research into their causes and by educating the public about strategies to prevent crashes and reduce injuries when they do occur. The work presented in this technical […]
This research brief examines changes in alternative transportation use and satisfaction over time among older adults using data from the AAA Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study. Eight transportation modes other than driving—public bus, train/subway, taxi, special community transportation, ride with a friend or family, volunteer driver, rideshare (e.g. Uber or Lyft), and walking […]