Transportation Issues News

June 13, 2025

Top Headlines

Emotional Responses Crucial to Attitudes About Self-Driving Cars

May 27, 2025 — When it comes to public attitudes toward using self-driving cars, understanding how the vehicles work is important -- but so are less obvious characteristics like feelings of excitement or pleasure and a belief in technology's social ...

A Small Bicycle Handlebar Sensor Can Help Map a Region's Riskiest Bike Routes

May 9, 2025 — Researchers have developed a system, called ProxiCycle, that logs when a passing car comes too close to a cyclist (four feet or less). A small, inexpensive sensor plugs into bicycle handlebars and ...

Nearly One-Quarter of E-Scooter Injuries Involved Substance Impaired Riders

Apr. 29, 2025 — About 25% of 7350 patients hospitalized for scooter-related injuries between 2016 and 2021 were using substances such as alcohol, opioids, marijuana and cocaine when injured. The findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen safety regulations, ...

Speed Cameras Take Six Months to Change Driver Behavior, Effects Vary by Neighborhood

Apr. 2, 2025 — New York City's automated speed cameras reduced traffic crashes by 14% and decreased speeding violations by 75% over time, according to new research. The research revealed most cameras achieve their ...

Philosophy: Cultural Differences in Exploitation of Artificial Agents

Mar. 26, 2025 — A new study shows that people in Japan treat robots and AI agents more respectfully than people in Western ...

E-Scooter Crashes Mainly Caused by Reckless Driving

Mar. 25, 2025 — Crashes on electric scooters are mostly due to the behavior of the riders, with one-handed steering and riding in a group being some of the largest risk factors. The researchers are also concerned about riders who deliberately crash or cause ...

Adopting Zero-Emission Trucks and Buses Could Save Lives, Prevent Asthma

Mar. 18, 2025 — Researchers used community input to design Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) air-quality model experiments. Community asked for ACT policy simulations that convert 48% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles into zero tailpipe emission versions. Researchers ...

Cities That Conducted Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories Moved Needle Toward Reduction

Mar. 12, 2025 — Researchers gathered emissions data from hundreds of US cities that either conducted a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, or reported they employed sustainability staff. The cities that conducted an ...

Receiving Low-Glucose Alerts Improves Diabetic Drivers' Safety on the Road

Mar. 10, 2025 — A Japanese study has found that the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, equipped with sensors that alert diabetics when their blood sugar levels drop, can potentially make diabetic drivers safer on the road. Those who used the ...

How London's Ultra Low Emission Zone Is Changing the School Run

Mar. 3, 2025 — London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is transforming children's journeys to school by making streets safer, improving perceptions of air quality and encouraging children to live healthier lives. A new study highlights its benefits, with many ...

Researchers Are Driving the Charge of Zero Emissions

Feb. 10, 2025 — New research finds that electric vehicles generally produce less non-exhaust emissions compared with gasoline-powered ...

One in Four Chance Per Year That Rocket Junk Will Enter Busy Airspace

Feb. 5, 2025 — There's a 26 per cent annual chance that space rocket junk will re-enter the atmosphere and pass through a busy flight area, according to a recent study. While the chance of debris hitting an aircraft is very low, the research highlights that the ...

Latest Headlines

updated 1:42pm EDT

Scientific Approach Can Optimize Bike Lane Planning

Jan. 27, 2025 — develop a model that can help municipalities choose optimal locations as they expand their cycling lane networks in response to growing ...

Realistic Emission Tests for Motorbikes, Mopeds and Quads

Jan. 9, 2025 — Researchers have developed new measurement techniques and methods to measure emissions from category-L vehicles in realistic operation and to determine corresponding limit ...

Acoustic Sensors Find Frequent Gunfire on School Walking Routes

Jan. 6, 2025 — A new study used acoustic sensors that detect the sound of gunfire to show how often children in one Chicago neighborhood are exposed to gunshots while walking to and from school. Results showed that ...

Sound of Traffic Increases Stress and Anxiety, Study Finds

Nov. 27, 2024 — Manmade sounds such vehicle traffic can mask the positive impact of nature soundscapes on people's stress and anxiety, according to a new ...

Scientists Unveil Strategies to Make Self-Driven Vehicles Passenger-Friendly

Nov. 6, 2024 — Automated vehicles promise to improve urban mobility, but passenger trust remains a challenge. Providing timely, passenger-specific explanations for ...

New Research Reveals How Large-Scale Adoption of Electric Vehicles Can Improve Air Quality and Human Health

Oct. 15, 2024 — A new study suggests that large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could lead to significant population-level health benefits. The research ...

Texting While Walking Puts Pedestrians in Danger

Oct. 7, 2024 — Research analyzing actual pedestrian interactions with vehicles on busy streets concludes that distracted pedestrians face higher safety risks compared with undistracted road users. The study found ...

Autonomous Vehicles Could Understand Their Passengers Better With ChatGPT

Sep. 16, 2024 — Imagine simply telling your vehicle, 'I'm in a hurry,' and it automatically takes you on the most efficient route to where you need to be. Engineers found that an autonomous vehicle (AV) can do this ...

Engineers Develop AI System for Real-Time Sensing of Flooded Roads

Aug. 28, 2024 — Roadway-related incidents are a leading cause of flood fatalities nationwide, but limited flood-reporting tools make it difficult to evaluate road conditions in real ...

Bicycle Rolling-Stop Laws Don't Lead to Unsafe Behavior by Riders or Motorists, Research Shows

Aug. 26, 2024 — Laws that let bicyclists treat stop signs as yield signs lead neither riders nor motorists to act unsafely, according to a groundbreaking ...

Urban Highways Cut Opportunities for Social Relationships

Mar. 6, 2025 — Urban highways promise to get people to their destinations faster -- and bring them together. But at the same time, they reduce social connections between people within the city, especially at ...

An Emissions Tale of Two Cities: Salt Lake City Vs. Los Angeles

Feb. 26, 2025 — Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the major population hubs of their respective states, are much different places, but they both experience poor air quality and share valley topography that traps ...

Engineers Unveil AI Model for Predicting, Controlling Pandemic Spread

Oct. 24, 2024 — A team of engineers has published a study on how international air travel has influenced the spread of COVID-19, finding Western Europe, the Middle East and North America as leading regions in ...

Researchers Find Possible Inaccuracies in Crash-Reported Child Passenger Injuries

Aug. 14, 2024 — Researchers found discrepancies between crash reports and hospital data that might paint an incomplete or inaccurate picture of how crashes impact the safety of child passengers. Enhancing the ...

Study Quantifies Air Pollution for NYC Subway Commuters

Aug. 7, 2024 — New York City subway commuters who are economically disadvantaged or belong to racial minority groups have the highest exposure to fine particulate matter during their commutes, according to a new ...

Innovative Modeling Aims to Curb Teen Drunken Driving Fatalities

July 29, 2024 — New research is shedding new light on the complex issue of drinking and driving among teens and young adults in the ...

Warehousing Industry Increases Health-Harming Pollutants, Research Shows

July 24, 2024 — A new study shows an average 20-percent spike of nitrogen dioxide polluting the air for communities located near huge warehouses. And people of color are harder ...

Electric Scooter and Bike Accidents Are Soaring Across the United States

July 23, 2024 — In the crowded urban landscape, where small electric vehicles -- primarily scooters and bicycles -- have transformed short distance travel, researchers are reporting a major national surge in ...

Study Shows New Efficiency Standards for Heavy Trucks Could Boost Energy Use

July 18, 2024 — A new study suggests that the U.S. government's push to increase heavy-duty trucks' energy efficiency could encourage more shipping by truck instead of rail, reducing the policies' ...

When There's Money to Lose, Phone Usage While Driving Drops

July 10, 2024 — Researchers discovered that feedback plus cash incentives designed with insights from behavioral science reduces phone use while ...

Trust, More Than Knowledge, Critical for Acceptance of Fully Autonomous Vehicles

July 9, 2024 — While not yet on the market, fully autonomous vehicles are promoted as a way to make road travel dramatically safer, but a recent study found that knowing more about them did not improve ...

Study Reveals High Rate of Drowsy Driving by Teens

June 4, 2024 — A new study found that drowsy driving by teenagers is a common threat to public safety on U.S. ...

Traffic Speeds Decrease When Bike Lane Is Present

June 3, 2024 — Researchers conducting a study at a high-traffic intersection in a Jersey Shore town have found that the installation of a bike lane along the road approaching the convergence reduced driving ...

Subtle Cognitive Decline Precedes End to Driving for Older Adults

May 22, 2024 — Even slight cognitive changes can affect an older person's decision to stop driving, according to a new study. The findings suggest that routine cognitive testing -- in particular, the kind of ...

New Transit Station in Japan Significantly Reduced Cumulative Health Expenditures

May 14, 2024 — A research team assessed the impact of a train station's opening on health expenditures. The natural experiment study revealed that a new mass transit station is significantly associated with ...

Child Pedestrians, Self-Driving Vehicles: What's the Safest Scenario for Crossing the Road?

Apr. 24, 2024 — Crossing roads for children can be a risky calculation, especially when the vehicles are self-driven. In a new study, researchers determined pre-teenage children are safest when self-driving vehicles ...

The Biggest Barrier to a Vibrant Second-Hand EV Market? Price

Apr. 19, 2024 — As early adopters of electric vehicles (EVs) trade up for the latest models, the used EV market is beginning to mature in the United States. Yet many potential buyers, particularly low-income ...

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 ...

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 ...