News

Read the latest news and announcements from traffic safety interest groups and about traffic safety topics here.

Making CAV Deployments Compatible with Complete Streets Objectives for Safe and Efficient Operation

  • April 29th, 2026

Urban streets are increasingly complex environments where diverse transportation modes like cars, bicycles, pedestrians, micromobility, and emerging automated vehicles, interact within constrained spaces. Traditional design practices, guided by qualitative policies such as Complete Streets, often lack the quantitative foundation needed to evaluate trade-offs between efficiency, equity, and safety. This research introduces a data-driven framework to […]

Read More

AI in Charge: Large-Scale Experimental Evidence on Electric Vehicle Charging Demand

  • April 29th, 2026

One of the promising opportunities offered by AI to support the decarbonization of electricity grids is to align demand with low-carbon supply. We evaluated the effects of one of the world’s largest AI managed EV charging tariffs (a retail electricity pricing plan) using a large-scale natural field experiment. The tariff dynamically controlled vehicle charging to […]

, ,
Read More

Improving Virtual Public Involvement in Transportation Agencies 2026

  • April 29th, 2026

Virtual public involvement (VPI), defined by the Federal Highway Administration as “the use of digital technology to engage individuals or to visualize projects or plans,” is now an essential part of public participation in transportation planning and project development. VPI has reduced participation barriers for many people while creating challenges for others. Although VPI was […]

,
Read More

How Long Do Electric Car Batteries Last?

  • March 30th, 2026

Electric cars have soared in popularity in the wake of high gasoline prices. While improvements in vehicle battery technology have led to increased battery range, consumers are still left wondering how long they can expect their vehicle battery to last. After all, the battery pack is the most expensive part of an electric car, with […]

,
Read More

EV fast-charging stations coming to Alabama

  • March 30th, 2026

Some Walmart customers in 19 states, including Alabama, will soon notice a change in their store’s parking lot. The nation’s largest retailer is stepping up the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles. First announced in 2023, the plan includes building EV fast-charging stations at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations coast to coast by 2030. EV […]

Read More

Selecting Communication Channels to Deliver Traffic Safety Messaging

  • March 30th, 2026

Behavioral traffic safety messaging aims to inform, persuade, and motivate specific groups of road users to modify risky behaviors, with the goal of improving road safety and reducing traffic-related injuries and fatalities. These campaigns address numerous behaviors among both motor vehicle drivers and vulnerable road users across a wide range of demographics. Regardless of the […]

Read More

Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures: Management, Operation, and Maintenance

  • March 30th, 2026

Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs) use high-resolution signal and detector data to enable continuous, proactive monitoring of traffic operations and maintenance. Although they have proven benefits, their adoption among state departments of transportation (DOTs) varies widely due to challenges such as funding, equipment upgrades, and staffing. Understanding the factors behind successful implementations and the […]

Read More

Macrotexture Model Development for Asphalt Mixtures Aimed at Safety Analysis

  • March 30th, 2026

The Safe System Approach,(1) the guiding paradigm of the United States Department of Transportation National Road Safety Strategy,(2) recognizes that system redundancy is crucial to reducing deaths and serious injuries on our Nation’s roads. Where pavements are concerned, this paradigm involves providing adequate levels of friction supply to meet the friction demand (i.e., the level […]

,
Read More

Assessing Safety Effectiveness of Treatments and Technologies at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

  • March 30th, 2026

A variety of approaches and methods have been used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) and others for assessing the safety effectiveness of treatments and technologies at highway-rail grade crossings. These approaches and methods are based on early data and do not consider all operational aspects of highway-rail grade crossings or recently developed technologies, and […]

Read More