Transportation Science News

November 30, 2023

Top Headlines

E-Scooter Accidents: More Helmets and Less Speed Reduce the Injury Risk

Oct. 18, 2023 — A team has used Human Body Models to investigate accidents involving electric scooters and identified the most important factors for preventing serious ...

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 ...

People Hold Smart AI Assistants Responsible for Outcomes

Aug. 30, 2023 — Even when humans see AI-based assistants purely as tools, they ascribe partial responsibility for decisions to them, as a new study ...

Self-Driving Cars Can Make Traffic Slower

Aug. 14, 2023 — A new study finds that 'connected' vehicles, which share data with each other wirelessly, significantly improve travel time through intersections -- but automated vehicles can actually slow down travel time through intersections if they are not ...

Latest Headlines

updated 8:05pm EST

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 ...

New Algorithm Maps Safest Routes for City Drivers

July 25, 2023 — Most navigation apps can show you the fastest possible route to your destination and some can even suggest an eco-friendly route calculated to produce the least amount of carbon emissions. But what ...

Groundbreaking E-Scooter Study Shows Surface Transitions as Most Common Hurdle

July 25, 2023 — Transitions from surfaces, such as moving from gravel or dirt to grass, proved to be the riskiest. Those riders were almost 60 times more likely to ...

Testing Real Driverless Cars in a Virtual Environment

July 6, 2023 — Researchers have developed new software to aid in the development, evaluation and demonstration of safer autonomous, or driverless, vehicles. Called the Vehicle-in-Virtual-Environment (VVE) method, ...

Tracking Ships' Icy Paths Amidst Climate Change

July 5, 2023 — Understanding when and where ships are entering areas of Arctic sea ice can help elucidate the potential impacts of vessel traffic in the ...

Wind Farm Noise Exposure Doesn't Wake People Up from Their Slumber More Than Road Traffic Noise

June 26, 2023 — Short exposure to wind farm and road traffic noise triggers a small increase in people waking from their slumber that can fragment their sleep ...

High-Tech Pavement Markers Support Autonomous Driving in Tough Conditions, Remote Areas

June 20, 2023 — Engineers are placing low-powered sensors in the reflective raised pavement markers that are already used to help drivers identify lanes. Microchips ...

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 ...

Preventing Truck Crashes Needs to Take 'Dashcam' Approach to Driver 'Microsleeps'

June 1, 2023 — Researchers using dashcam footage of real-world collisions involving large trucks to analyze driver and vehicle behavior has found that ...

Self-Driving Cars Lack Social Intelligence in Traffic

May 30, 2023 — Self-driving cars fall short when it comes to understanding the social codes in traffic that let human drivers decide whether to give way or drive on, according to new ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Hidden in Plain Sight: Windshield Washer Fluid Is an Unexpected Emission Source

May 30, 2023 — Exhaust fumes probably come to mind when considering vehicle emissions, but they aren't the only source of pollutants released by a daily commute. Researchers report that alcohols in windshield ...

Realistic Simulated Driving Environment Based on 'Crash-Prone' Michigan Intersection

May 1, 2023 — The first statistically realistic roadway simulation has now been developed. While it currently represents a particularly perilous roundabout, future work will expand it to include other driving ...

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 ...

Road Noise Makes Your Blood Pressure Rise -- Literally

Mar. 22, 2023 — If you live near a busy road you might feel like the constant sound of roaring engines, honking horns and wailing sirens makes your blood pressure rise. Now a new study confirms it can do exactly ...

Simulated Terrible Drivers Cut the Time and Cost of AV Testing by a Factor of One Thousand

Mar. 22, 2023 — The push toward truly autonomous vehicles has been hindered by the cost and time associated with safety testing, but a new system shows that artificial intelligence can reduce the testing miles ...

Cascading Failures in Urban Traffic Systems Tied to Hidden Bottlenecks

Mar. 21, 2023 — Scientists have developed a modeling technique to study urban traffic flows and show that their model can be used to find previously unknown bottlenecks. The model uses a modified form of percolation ...

'Talking' Concrete Could Help Prevent Traffic Jams and Cut Carbon Emissions

Mar. 16, 2023 — An increasing number of U.S. interstates are set to try out an invention that could save millions of taxpayer dollars and significantly reduce traffic delays. The invention, a sensor that allows ...

How to Predict City Traffic

Feb. 28, 2023 — A new machine learning model can predict traffic activity in different zones of cities. To do so, a researcher used data from a main car-sharing company in Italy as a proxy for overall city traffic. ...

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 ...

Autonomous Steering System Keeps Human Drivers Engaged

Jan. 31, 2023 — Researchers have developed an automated driving system based on the concept of 'collaborative steering', which aims to increase transportation safety, efficiency, and comfort by encouraging ...

Preventing Vehicle Crashes by Learning from Insects

Jan. 17, 2023 — Despite only about 25% of car travel happening after dark, almost half of fatal accidents occur at night. As our vehicles become more advanced and even autonomous, the ways of detecting and avoiding ...

'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 ...

Automated System to Detect Compressed Air Leaks on Trains

Nov. 10, 2022 — Researchers have developed a proof-of-concept system to autonomously detect compressed air leaks on trains and relay the location of the leaks to mechanical personnel for repair. The automated system ...

Can Your Phone Tell If a Bridge Is in Good Shape?

Nov. 3, 2022 — Researchers find data collected by mobile phones could be used to evaluate the structural integrity of ...

Keeping Electricity Affordable on Wireless Charging Highways

Oct. 20, 2022 — Efficient pricing will be crucial to minimize energy costs for private operators who provide on-the-highway wireless charging for electric cars -- and for consumers who will use this service, ...

New Motorcycle Lighting Design Could Save Lives

Oct. 18, 2022 — Motorcycle drivers are 27 times more likely to die in an accident than those in regular passenger vehicles. Night driving is especially dangerous, accounting for nearly half of all fatal ...

Can Eyes on Self-Driving Cars Reduce Accidents?

Sep. 20, 2022 — Robotic eyes on autonomous vehicles could improve pedestrian safety, according to a new study. Participants played out scenarios in virtual reality (VR) and had to decide whether to cross a road in ...

Helping Autonomous Vehicles Navigate Tricky Highway Merges

Aug. 24, 2022 — If autonomous vehicles are ever going to achieve widespread adoption, we need to know they are capable of navigating complex traffic situations, such as merging into heavy traffic when lanes ...

Tuesday, May 30, 2023