During the 2015 Traffic Safety Conference, the Texas Division Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration revealed that his passion for pedestrian safety stems from the death of his sister in 1990. Al Alonzi was a speaker during the opening session of the 7th annual conference, sponsored and hosted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) […]
safety
Research Is Another Resource Texans Can Rely On
Texas is a resource-rich state. Blessed with oil and natural gas reserves, Texas has been a principal supplier of natural resources for the nation for more than a century. Although resource development is always welcome — and a boon to the state’s economy — planning for it can be challenging. New discoveries of oil and […]
Researchers Test Emergency Exit Signs for Tunnels
About 15 years ago, several catastrophic, deadly highway tunnel disasters occurred in Europe. As a result, researchers began to evaluate methods to more effectively help stranded motorists reach emergency exits. The green “running man” sign — an international symbol for “emergency exit” — was adopted to help communicate with motorists. The United States has yet […]
TTI, TxDOT Team Up to Test Connected-Vehicle Technology
Connected vehicles are coming. The transportation industry is already working on standards and prototypes. And part of developing them is testing to ensure the future of transportation is as safe, efficient and reliable as possible. A portion of I-35 could soon become a national test bed for connected-vehicle research, thanks in part to a four-year […]
Latest Issue of Safetynet Now Available
The newest issue of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety’s newsletter is available. View the newsletter.Sign up to receive Safetynet via email. In this issue: New TxDOT traffic safety projects Safety Center researchers look at improving low-bridge warning signs Circuit of the Americas, TxDOT partners for motor safety Researchers, medical professionals seek better […]
TTI Helps Texas Stay on Course for the Future
As Texas lawmakers prepare for the 84th Texas Legislative Session, one of the topics on their agenda is the Texas transportation system. How to maintain and enhance all modes of transportation in the state to benefit residents, business owners and travelers has been discussed in recent sessions. Given innovations in technology and a growing population, […]
Teens in the Driver Seat Aims at Promoting Safer Driving in 100 New High Schools Nationwide in 2015
The No. 1 killer of U.S. teenagers is automobile crashes, especially during their first — and most inexperienced — year of driving. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS) program and State Farm® are enhancing their longstanding and successful relationship to prevent these tragedies. State Farm recently provided $350,000 in grant […]
Keeping Texans Informed During Construction Projects
The I-35 Expansion Project in Central Texas For travelers and business owners, construction projects — whatever their long-term benefits — can be an annoying, frustrating experience. Exits closed, access limited, traffic slowed down in work zones — mitigating the effects of those necessary evils is what a mobility coordinator does on behalf of the Texas […]
Improving Traffic Incident Management
Have you ever seen the YouTube videos of traffic in China? Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike approach intersections willy-nilly, with no traffic signals regulating them. Sometimes, only human reflexes and constantly honking horns keep crashes from happening. And even with traffic signals and conscientious attention by drivers, crashes still occur. In American cities, local traffic […]
TTI-Developed Sugar Land Rail-Monitoring System Reestablished
The Sugar Land rail-monitoring system is back in operation, alerting emergency personnel of approaching trains along a 6-mile section of US 90-A. This is the same system that is credited with averting a disaster in 2003 when police dispatchers were able to notify rail officials that a truck containing sodium hydroxide was stalled on a […]
An Old Notion, A New Future: We’ve Been Automating Vehicles Right from the Start
When we talk about automating vehicles today, it sometimes sounds very futuristic. Relinquishing driving duties to a computer is a scary thought for some. But one thing to remember is that automating vehicles isn’t a new idea. It began over a hundred years ago with the notion of tying automation to safety. You probably know […]
ATLAS Center Created with $1.4 Million Grant from USDOT
The nation’s two largest university-based transportation research institutes have joined forces to form a unique university transportation center (UTC) designed to improve safety through a multidisciplinary system approach to research. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) — which leads the effort — form the UTC, called […]
Texas Drivers Report Improvements in Some Safety Behaviors
Survey also tracks awareness of safety programs, campaigns TEXAS DRIVERS in 2013 were slightly less inclined to report they exceeded speed limits or talked on a cell phone while driving than they were the previous year, according to recent research. In the study, funded annually by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) since 2010, the […]
87th Annual Transportation Short Course Highlights TTI-TxDOT Partnership
Every element of Texas transportation will be discussed during the 87th Annual Short Course as nearly 2,000 transportation professionals gather on the Texas A&M University campus Oct. 15-16. Breakout sessions will examine the latest research on topics like roadway design, maintenance and pavement management, rail, work zone safety and speed limits, just to name a […]
Voice-to-Text Apps: Study Finds No Safety Benefits
New research findings suggest that voice-to-text applications offer no real safety advantage over manual texting.
Safety-Belt Use at All-Time High in Texas
Ninety-four percent of Texas drivers and their front-seat passengers are buckled up. It’s the largest compliance percentage since researchers with TTI began tracking compliance in 1992.
National Crash-Testing Standards: TTI Makes a Big Impact with 18-Wheelers
At TTI’s crash facility, a fully loaded 18-wheeler traveling at 50 mph slammed into a concrete barrier placed on top of a retaining wall. The data from the unique crash test will prove vital.
Demanding a Recount on Motorcycle Crashes
NCHRP Project 08-81, Improving the Quality of Motorcycle Travel Data Collection, tasked TTI with reviewing current traffic detection methods, investigating new technologies and reporting on which count motorcycles the best.
Another TTI First: Broadcasting Crash Tests
On Sept. 26, for the first time in Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) history, a crash test at TTI’s Proving Grounds was broadcast live via the Internet to clients and stakeholders across the country. Providing live streaming crash tests was the brainchild of Dean Alberson, assistant agency director and manager of the TTI Crashworthy Structures […]