Award-winning research means safer ways to cross the street Why did the citizen cross the road? And more importantly, did he or she make it to the other side unscathed? Whether we’re after a cup of coffee and a croissant or sprinting for the bus, crossing busy streets is an everyday part of urban life. [...]

Week after week, the headlines read something like this: Four Teens Die after Collision with SUV, Nighttime Crash Kills Three Teenagers or Text Messaging Blamed for Deadly Crash. Despite the epidemic of teen deaths on the world’s roadways, a global approach to addressing the tragedy has not been pursued—until now. In April 2007, the World [...]

In 1969, a man and his motorcycle went in search of America. The classic film Easy Rider featured actor Peter Fonda, his “Captain America” chopper and more than a sprinkling of alternative culture. Years later, riders inspired by the film are facing challenges that neither cinema nor celebrities talked about much back then. Motorcycling has [...]

Everyone’s been delayed by a train at a roadway crossing. Usually, you’re in your car, tapping your fingers. But if you were standing at the crossing and the train was actually stopped, wouldn’t you be tempted to step between the cars and be on your way? If you said yes, you would not be alone. [...]

TTI’s research yields new models for vehicle emission rates Air pollution is a serious problem in the state of Texas. Children, the elderly, those with respiratory illness and those who work and exercise outdoors are at highest risk of developing medical complications—coughing, throat irritation and pain when breathing—often exacerbated by air pollution. An important source [...]

In 1948, the Texas Legislature recognized the need to keep records of motor vehicle fatalities when it passed a law requiring Texas coroners to report all traffic fatalities to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). But when Becky Davies, research scientist with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), began investigating alcohol-involved traffic fatalities in 1995, [...]

Multiple TTI efforts helping to curb impaired driving The statistics are sobering: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2005 there were 1,569 alcohol-related traffic deaths in Texas. Nearly half of all total traffic deaths in the state were alcohol-related. If eleven 737 passenger jets filled to capacity crashed with no survivors, [...]

Technical Reports “Establish Guidance for Soils Properties-Based Prediction of Meander Migration Rate,” by Jean-Louis Briaud, 0-4378-1, May 17, 2007. “System for the Evaluation of Moisture Damage Using Fundamental Material Properties,” by Jonathan Howson, 0-4524-1, May 25, 2007. “Implementation Plan for Use of Surface Energy Measurements to Select Materials Resistant to Moisture Damage,” by Eyad Masad, [...]

TTI Shines at ITE Annual Meeting The Texas Transportation Institute’s Brian Bochner, Scott Cooner and the Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) program were recognized with major honors at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2007 Annual Meeting and Exhibit in August in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bochner, a senior research engineer with the Center for Air [...]