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Read the latest news and announcements from traffic safety interest groups and about traffic safety topics here.
The number and rate of traffic fatalities in the U.S. surged starting in 2020, even as the rate of vehicle travel plunged while the nation grappled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend of increasing traffic fatalities continued in 2021, as vehicle travel returned to near pre-pandemic levels. From 2021 to 2022 the […]
This report provides a primer on location-based service (LBS) data and its uses in public transportation. It defines LBS data, describes the techniques for collecting and processing the data, and the key parties involved. The report highlights opportunities, limitations, and potential risks of using LBS data, based on the literature and interviews with transit agencies, […]
Several pieces of legislation have expanded DOT’s authority to combat human trafficking. These include expanding grant programs, requiring air carriers to train certain personnel, tracking air carrier training and tips, establishing the multimodal advisory committee, preparing a triennial advisory committee recommendations and best practices report, instituting a lifetime ban on Commercial Driver’s License holders who […]
The most basic truth about transportation too often goes unsaid: arriving safely is what matters most. We know this to be true, yet in our most familiar and common form of transportation – the use of roads by vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists – tens of thousands of lives are lost every year in America. One […]
Pull up to a fast-charging station with a low charge and it’ll be 20-60 minutes until you’re back on the road with a nearly full battery. Plug in at home on a lower-voltage connection and you’re looking at a charging time of multiple hours. Electric-vehicle startup Fisker has an ingenious solution to ease that pain. Rather […]
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) support drivers with some driving tasks. However, drivers may lack appropriate knowledge about ADAS (referred to as their mental model), which can translate to drivers misusing or mistrusting the technologies, especially in situations beyond the capability of the system (i.e., edge cases). Past research suggests that mental models may be […]
A proposal led by The University of Alabama (UA) to strengthen the Deep South’s role in production and support of electric vehicles (EVs) was selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for further development. As automakers bring more EVs into production, add more computational power and continue to integrate automation, the entire transportation ecosystem must change to meet new […]
Traffic agencies are seeking solutions to the rise in pedestrian fatalities. A traffic control treatment that is gaining use is the pedestrian- or school-crossing warning sign with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) embedded in the borders (called LED-Em in this report). View the full study here.
Driving over the speed limit endangers all road users. By maintaining a safe speed on our roads, CMV drivers are able to better control their large vehicles and carefully react to changing road conditions, like traffic or weather impacts. The action is simple: maintain safe speeds to help save lives. For more information on this campaign, […]
The number of electric vehicles on the road increases exponentially every year. Due to the quieter nature of these vehicles when operating at low speeds, there is significant concern that pedestrians and bicyclists will be at increased risk of vehicle collisions. This research explores the detectability of six electric vehicle acoustic additive sounds produced by […]