Planning for the 2013 Traffic Safety Conference, sponsored by the Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), is currently underway. This year’s conference will be held June 3-5 in Fort Worth, Texas, and will also include a pre-conference workshop – Improving the Safety of Your Highway Workers with the “Roadway Safety+" Work Zone Training Program. Our preliminary program is now available … [Read more...]
Carlson Featured in Traffic Technology International
February 13, 2013 -
Texas A&M Transportation Institute Research Engineer Paul Carlson was recently featured in the January issue of Traffic Technology International. The article is related to senior drivers and has a section on visibility, which Carlson is noted throughout the country for his research. Carlson is the division head for the Operations and Design Division and also leads TTI’s Visibility Research Laboratory. Read the article … [Read more...]
Improving BAC testing and reporting in Texas
January 2, 2013 -
Researcher: Troy Walden, Ph.D. Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation CTS researchers performed an analysis of crash data in CRIS to determine drivers who were involved in alcohol-related crashes across all 254 counties in Texas. The data were used to identify which medical examiners and/or county coroners/justices of the peace are responsible for reporting blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results to TxDOT crash records. Researchers … [Read more...]
Correlating data for more accurate crash reporting
April 16, 2012 -
Researcher: John Mounce, Ph.D., P.E. Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation Vehicle crash records are routinely contained in multiple databases managed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), including the Crash Records Information System, the Texas Reference Marker, the Roadway/Highway Network Inventory and the Texas Pavement Management Information System. CTS staff have provided statistical analysis to assist in … [Read more...]
Launching a campaign to educate the public on alcohol impaired driving
January 6, 2012 -
Researcher: Lee Ann Bell Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation This campaign was launched to increase the public’s awareness on the actions to take when they suspect that they have encountered an impaired driver. The project uses several forms of educational materials such as brochures, posters, and a video public service announcement to inform citizens about how to recognize impaired driving, make the call to 9-1-1 and report the … [Read more...]
Assessing underage drinking through community action team training
November 9, 2011 -
Researcher: Melissa Walden, Ph.D., P.E. Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation This project employs a community based approach to address underage drinking through team assessment in the community and localized strategic planning. The approach was originally developed as a rapid response approach so that states and local communities could deploy a team to address the underage drinking problem in the wake of a specific incident. This … [Read more...]
Improving understanding of pavement markings
November 4, 2011 -
Researcher: Alicia Nelson Sponsor: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County This study sought to determine if drivers noticed and understood the intended meanings of three new types of pavement markings used along the Bellaire Quickline bus route in Houston operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO). CTS researchers surveyed a sample of drivers in the Texas Medical Center area by showing pictures of the … [Read more...]
Analyzing nationwide nighttime fatal crash trends
November 1, 2011 -
Researchers: Russell Henk, P.E., Val Pezoldt and Bernie Fette Sponsor: Center for Transportation Safety The number of drivers involved in nighttime fatal crashes nationwide has increased over the past decade, even as crash fatalities overall have declined during the same period. While the number has been climbing for drivers of all ages, the increase has been sharper for teenage drivers than for those age 20 and older. Findings from this … [Read more...]
Updating the Texas Strategic Highway Safety Plan
October 25, 2011 -
Researcher: R. Quinn Brackett, Ph.D. Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation CTS researchers were responsible for communicating with metropolitan planning organizations, councils of governments, regional planning councils, Texas police chiefs, sheriffs and emergency medical associations to present information on strategic highway safety plan activities at meetings across the state. CTS staff participated as active stakeholders at … [Read more...]
New study says texting doubles a driver’s reaction time
October 5, 2011 -
For immediate release: October 5, 2011 For more information: Bernie Fette, 979-845-2623 (office) or 979-777-7532 (cell) Researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute have determined that a driver’s reaction time is doubled when distracted by reading or sending a text message. The study reveals how the texting impairment is even greater than many experts … [Read more...]
