Transportation Issues News

April 23, 2024

Top Headlines

One-Third of Ride-Share Drivers Have Had a Crash on the Job, Survey Finds

Apr. 4, 2024 — Using a cell phone, driving while tired and driving on unfamiliar roads increased the likelihood of a ...

New Traffic Signal Would Improve Travel Time for Both Pedestrians and Vehicles

Mar. 12, 2024 — Adding a fourth light to traffic signals -- in addition to red, green and yellow -- would shorten wait times at street corners for pedestrians, as well as improve traffic flow for both autonomous ...

Scientists Revolutionize Wireless Communication With Three-Dimensional Processors

Mar. 4, 2024 — Scientists have pioneered a method for using semiconductor technology to manufacture processors that significantly enhance the efficiency of transmitting vast amounts of data across the ...

Improving Traffic Signal Timing With a Handful of Connected Vehicles

Feb. 20, 2024 — With GPS data from as little as 6% of vehicles on the road, researchers can recalibrate traffic signals to significantly reduce congestion and delays at ...

Latest Headlines

updated 8:26pm EDT

GeoAI Technologies for Sustainable Urban Development

Apr. 15, 2024 — From heatwaves to pandemic diseases, the urban environments of the world face numerous challenges. Researchers are harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and informatics to address emerging concerns ...

Determining Who Gets Blamed When Cars Hit Pedestrians

Feb. 13, 2024 — A new study examines the circumstances behind who is found at fault when cars hit pedestrians in an urban area. Results showed that the environment where the crash took place -- especially the types ...

Road Features That Predict Crash Sites Identified in New Machine-Learning Model

Feb. 13, 2024 — Issues such as abrupt changes in speed limits and incomplete lane markings are among the most influential factors that can predict road crashes, ...

Using Idle Trucks to Power the Grid With Clean Energy

Jan. 13, 2024 — Researchers are tapping into idled electric vehicles to act as mobile generators and help power overworked and aging electricity grids. After analyzing energy demand on Alberta's power grid during ...

Using Machine Learning to Monitor Driver 'Workload' Could Help Improve Road Safety

Dec. 7, 2023 — Researchers have developed an adaptable algorithm that could improve road safety by predicting when drivers are able to safely interact with ...

To Help Autonomous Vehicles Make Moral Decisions, Researchers Ditch the 'Trolley Problem'

Dec. 1, 2023 — Researchers have developed a new experiment to better understand what people view as moral and immoral decisions related to driving vehicles, with ...

Gaming Strategy Helps Plan for and Prevent Attacks on Infrastructure

Oct. 30, 2023 — As technology continues to advance, the likelihood of malevolent attacks and subsequent failures on society's critical infrastructures increases. Blackouts, water shortages, transport collapses -- ...

Strong Link Between ADHD and Car Crashes in Older Adult Drivers

Oct. 4, 2023 — In a study on the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its association with crash risk among older adult drivers, researchers found that older adult drivers with ADHD are ...

New Study Reveals the Power of Railroads to Buffer Coal Plants from a Carbon Emissions Tax

Sep. 7, 2023 — A new study suggests that railroads are likely to cut transportation prices to prop up coal-fired plants if U.S. climate policies further ...

Electrifying Heavy-Duty Vehicles Could Reduce Environmental Inequalities

Sep. 5, 2023 — If the region surrounding Chicago -- North America's largest freight hub -- shifted just 30% of its current on-road heavy-duty vehicles to electric versions, it would substantially reduce pollution ...

In the Driver's Seat: Study Explores How We Interact With Remote Drivers

Jan. 13, 2024 — Research is helping shed light on the important interaction between users and remote drivers that oversee the operation of automated ...

How Big Events Can Disrupt Public Transit Over an Entire City

Dec. 19, 2023 — New technology has allowed scientists to see how a major sporting event can disrupt public transportation in an entire city for hours before and after the ...

Decarbonizing Light-Duty Transportation in the United States: Study Reveals Strategies to Achieve Goal

Nov. 6, 2023 — Researchers found that meeting greenhouse gas emissions goals for light-duty vehicles, which are passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks, is possible, but not just by increasing electric vehicle ...

Tracking Drivers' Eyes Can Determine Ability to Take Back Control from 'Auto-Pilot' Mode

Aug. 31, 2023 — A team of researchers has developed a new method to determine the attention levels of drivers and their readiness to respond to warning signals when using auto-pilot ...

Do Driverless Cars Feel Safe? New Study Shows Gradual Introduction Needed to Build Comfort Among All Road Users

Aug. 30, 2023 — While self-driving vehicles (SDVs) are being hailed as a solution for safer, more efficient roads, new research suggests some are not quite ready to embrace self-driving cars wholeheartedly -- and ...

Using Cameras on Transit Buses to Monitor Traffic Conditions

July 26, 2023 — Researchers have proposed a novel method for counting and tracking vehicles on public roads, a development that could enhance current traffic systems and help travelers get to their destinations ...

All-Electric Rideshare Fleet Could Reduce Carbon Emissions, Increase Traffic Issues

June 12, 2023 — Two major ridesharing companies have promised all-electric fleets by 2030 in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. To understand additional impacts of this transition, researchers conducted ...

How Road Rage Really Affects Your Driving -- And the Self-Driving Cars of the Future

Apr. 11, 2023 — New research has identified characteristics of aggressive driving -- which impact both road users and the transition to self-driving cars of the ...

Prepare for Landing: Making Airports More Efficient

Mar. 28, 2023 — A team of scientists presents an original oscillating short-term memory model to study the dynamics of landing events at 10 major European airports. The model can estimate how landing volumes will ...

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Mar. 16, 2023 — Most cities don't map their own pedestrian networks. Now, researchers have built the first open-source tool to let planners do just that. Researchers have built TILE2NET, an open-source tool ...

America on the Move: How Urban Travel Has Changed Over a Decade

Mar. 1, 2023 — The most notable trend of new study on urban travel behaviors reveals that although private automobiles continue to be the dominant travel mode in American cities, the share of car trips has slightly ...

To Promote Exercise, Planners Must Look Beyond Cities

Feb. 27, 2023 — To encourage more active lifestyles, public health agencies recommend mixed-use neighborhoods and 'complete' streets that are friendlier to walkers and bikers, but new research finds that ...

Digital Markers Near-Perfect for Predicting Dementia in Older Drivers

Feb. 23, 2023 — Using ensemble learning techniques and longitudinal data from a large naturalistic driving study, researchers have developed a novel, interpretable and highly accurate algorithm for predicting mild ...

Autonomous Driving: New Algorithm Distributes Risk Fairly

Feb. 5, 2023 — Researchers have developed autonomous driving software which distributes risk on the street in a fair manner. The algorithm contained in the software is considered to be the first to incorporate the ...

New York City's Greenery Absorbs a Surprising Amount of Its Carbon Emissions

Jan. 5, 2023 — A study of vegetation across New York City and some densely populated adjoining areas has found that on many summer days, photosynthesis by trees and grasses absorbs all the carbon emissions produced ...

The Majority of California's Coastal Airports Are Vulnerable to Increased Flooding Caused by Climate Change

Dec. 5, 2022 — A new study has found that 39 out of 43 coastal airports in California have assets exposed to projected flooding that could disrupt their operations in the next 20 to 40 ...

Crowding Makes Time Seem to Pass More Slowly

Nov. 30, 2022 — Testing time perception in an unusually lifelike setting -- a virtual reality ride on a New York City subway train -- an interdisciplinary research team found that crowding makes time seem to pass ...

Organ Donations, Transplants Increase on Days of Largest Motorcycle Rallies, Study Shows

Nov. 28, 2022 — An analysis shows steep increases in organ donations and transplantations during large motorcycle rallies. The increase appears to be driven by well-documented increases in crash-related deaths ...

Air Pollution High at US Public Schools With Kids from Marginalized Groups

Nov. 17, 2022 — Race- and ethnicity-based discrepancies in exposure to air pollution, especially regarding proximity to roadways and industrial zones, are well-established. A new study reports the first nationwide ...

'Bike Boxes' Can Improve Urban Intersections for Cyclists, Oregon State Research Shows

Nov. 16, 2022 — A roadway setup known as the 'bike box,' a painted-off area for bicyclists at the front of an intersection, can help them stay safe at urban, signalized intersections, research ...