Ongoing Projects

Travel Time and Roadway Capacity Reliability

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Given the aging of the population, technologies, including decision-support systems, are needed that are sensitive both to the transportation needs and behaviors of aging drivers...

An Investigation of Innovative Approaches to Transportation Service Provision

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Many older Americans wish to remain in their current homes and communities as they age, and access to safe, reliable, and convenient transportation is critical for enabling them to do so. The availability of transportation options is particularly important to older Americans who for reasons of disability, income, or choice are not able to drive themselves. While older Americans living in metropolitan areas that provide...

Student Pilot Project: Improving Data Validity in a Driving Simulator

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Although driving simulators are increasingly used in research because they allow precise investigation of critical issues which would be unsafe or impractical to study in the field, simulator studies can be costly due to high levels of data loss. These losses accrue when participants lack the skill to handle a simulator as if it were a real car or become sick and must discontinue participation. Older participants often suffer...

Student Pilot Project: Impact of Red Light Running Camera Flashes on Younger and Older Driver Brake Response Times

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Initial evidence suggests that Red Light running Camera (RLRC) flashes attract both attention and the eyes away from safety-relevant driving information. Older adults are likely to be even more susceptible to the distracting effects of RLRC flashes as this age group often exhibits poorer attentional and eye movement control compared to younger adults. In...

Protecting Vulnerable Road Users: Ensuring the Safety of Bicyclist Infastructure for an Aging Population

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Bicycling is a popular outdoor activity for people of all ages and is associated with significant health benefits. However, bicycling is also one of the most dangerous modes of travel. When involved in a collision, a bicyclist's risk of injury or death is more than seven times that of a motorist, and this risk increases with age, with cyclists aged 65 and older facing a risk three times that of the already elevated risk of younger cyclists. Implementing effective traffic countermeasures, such as bicycle...

Needs Assessment for Multi-Modal Emergency Transportation Operations with a Focus on an Aging Poplation

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In the aftermath of disasters, evacuating aging victims and maintaining an optimal flow of critical resources to affected areas to serve their needs becomes problematic. For example, during and/or after Hurricane Katrina, the fatalities were mostly aging people. This highlights the vulnerability of the aging population to disasters and clearly indicates that emergency transportation plans and operations should consider providing them necessary assistance...

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