The Texas Legislature has enacted a number of laws requiring alcohol ignition interlock devices for drivers convicted of alcohol-related offenses. Adult probation officers are charged with implementing and monitoring use of these devices by drivers, but often have not had formal training related to ignition interlock devices. Adult probation officers also deal with other aspects of illegal alcohol use, primarily driving while intoxicated (DWI) … [Read more...]
Researchers Study Motivations for Speeding
December 21, 2012 -
Researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and Battelle have found that while reasons for speeding are based on a wide variety of factors, previous ideas about speeder demographics and personality types were confirmed. This information can be used to identify improved speeding countermeasures. The reasons vary based on a variety of situational, demographic and personality factors. Researchers found that men are more likely … [Read more...]
TDS Part of Publication That Takes In-Depth Look at Improving Teen Driver Safety
December 7, 2012 -
The Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS) program is one of a few selected initiatives to be a part of a national best practice guide by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Developed with a grant from State Farm®, Curbing Teen Driver Crashes: An In-Depth Look at State Novice Driver Initiatives comes on the heels of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), the newly enacted federal transportation funding law, which … [Read more...]
Texas Safety Belt Use at All Time High, Other Restraint Surveys Indicate Need for Improvement
November 29, 2012 -
Texas motorists are once again buckling up in large numbers, especially compared to years past. Despite the improving numbers, the Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) — part of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) — has documented some areas that need still more improvement. TTI has been conducting these surveys since 1984. Among the surveys conducted this year are daytime and nighttime safety belt use, child restraint use, … [Read more...]
TTI Researcher Presents at Human Factors Annual Meeting
November 8, 2012 -
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Associate Transportation Researcher Christine Yager gave a presentation, “The Effects of Reading and Writing Text-Based Messages While Driving,” at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The meeting was held in Boston, MA, October 22–26 and was attended by more than 1,450 participants from the United States and around the world. According to Yager, the meeting … [Read more...]
TxDOT’s Renewed Focus on Safety Emphasized at 86th Annual Short Course
October 22, 2012 -
Change was the dominant theme for the 86th Annual Short Course, which took place at Texas A&M University, October 16-17. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) event, which is hosted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) each year, provides a unique opportunity for the two agencies to collaborate on a common goal: improving the transportation system in Texas. About 2,000 people attended Short Course, which began … [Read more...]
Oct. 14-20 National Teen Driver Safety Week
October 15, 2012 -
October 14-20 is National Teen Driver Safety Week. Since 2007, the nation has dedicated a week in October to bring awareness to the number one cause of teen deaths in America – car crashes. More than 3,000 teens die each year in car crashes. Education, awareness, stronger laws and law enforcement are all necessary to combat the problem, and National Teen Driver Safety Week is a great place to start. For Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS) … [Read more...]
Universities launch peer-based safe driving program
October 1, 2012 -
SAN ANTONIO —Impaired driving is a persistent problem in Texas, particularly among college students. A new peer-based program aims to change that — Texas A&M University-San Antonio and the University of the Incarnate Word have started the U in the Driver Seat (UDS) program, which organizers hope to eventually spread statewide. Car crashes are the number-one killer of Americans under the age of 25, and alcohol use stands out as one of … [Read more...]
California High School Students Join Teens in the Driver Seat
September 25, 2012 -
In the first public event announcing the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)-developed Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) program in California, Franklin High School students in Elk Grove conducted a news conference for Sacramento-area media Sept. 19. The students outlined their efforts in combating teen car crashes, which is the number one killer of teens across the country. In California, teen drivers were responsible for 1,744 fatal … [Read more...]
National Seat Check Saturday
September 19, 2012 -
Bev Kellner has a daunting task: teaching parents how to properly buckle up their children in a child safety seat. Sounds easy enough, but considering that most of the more than 19,000 kids in car seats she’s checked over the last 14 years have been buckled improperly or not at all, she won’t be out of a job anytime soon. “Every year, there are new parents, and we will continue to teach them,” says Kellner, the manager of the … [Read more...]
