Discussions Advancing Research in Transportation Safety

DARTS

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who attended DARTS 2026!

We plan to have the recordings available on this site in a few weeks.

Please check back here for updates.

2026 Topic Areas

Distracted Drivers

Session Chair – Dr. Timothy Wright

Evidence Based Insights on Driver Attention and Alert Effectiveness - Dr. Alyssa Ryan (Michigan State University) and Dr. Saquib M. Haroon (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)

Effects of Control Modality on Driver Performance During Secondary Tasks - Mr. John Cliburn (George Mason University)

Uses of Artificial Intelligence for Behavioral Safety in the Trucking Context - Mr. Nanda Srinivasan, MS (Samsara)

Task Analysis of Five On-Road Vehicles - Mr. Ben Tankersley (Auburn University)

Drivers’ Opinions of and Experiences Using Subaru’s DriverFocus - Ms. Aimee Cox, MPH, CPH (IIHS)

Seat Belts and Occupant Safety

Session Chair – Mr. Larry Decina, MS

Child Occupant Protection Data and Innovation - Ms. Adele Polson (Westat)

Ride-hailing in the Safe System: Increased Seat Belt Compliance and Late Model Year Vehicles - Dr. Eamon Campolettano (Waymo)

Giving comfort and safety a boost: Evaluating comforts influence on belt positioning booster seat use - Dr. Rosalie Connell (Lafayette College)

Evaluation of LATCH vs. non-LATCH installations for boosters in frontal impacts - Dr. Julie Mansfield (The Ohio State University)

Using Behavioral Science and Community Input to Strengthen Rear-Facing Car Seat Messaging - Ms. Ann Edwards, MS (Old Dominion University)

Research on Older Adults’ Mobility (ROAM)

Session Chair – Ms. Alycia Bayne, MPA

Driver Monitoring and Feedback Systems for Older Drivers: Evidence from a Systematic Literature Review & Preliminary Qualitative Analysis - Ms. Nicole Booker, MA, and Dr. Johnathon Ehsani (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

Following the Journey: Portrait of an Older Driver - Dr. Anne Dickerson (East Carolina University)

Reaching a threshold to stop driving: lived experiences of people with dementia and their family caregivers - Dr. KJ Hansmann (University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health)

Teen and Senior Traffic Safety Risks - Dr. Bayliss Camp (CADMV)

From Unacquainted to Optimistic: How Transportation Barriers Shape Older Adults’ Familiarity with New Mobility Options and Perception of Autonomous Vehicles in a Rural State - Dr. Suman Mitra (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville)

Mobility and Oral Health: Transportation Data as a Lens on Access and Equity - Mr. Zeve Marcus, MA (ITNAmerica)

Exploring the Challenges and Rewards of Caregivers Who Provide Transportation Assistance to Older Adults - Dr. Colleen Peterson (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute)

Novice Drivers

Session Chair – Dr. Charlie Klauer

Monitoring and Feedback Systems for Young Drivers: Evidence from a Systematic Review - Dr. Johnathon Ehsani (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

How Family Support and Driver Education Shape Early Licensure Patterns and Crash Outcomes - Ms. Yuxi Shen (Michigan State University)

Evaluation of an App-Based Intervention Program for Teen Driver Speeding Mitigation and Intelligent Speed Assist Technology Use: Study Findings - Ms. Jennifer Zakrajsek, MA (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute)

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Use of Do Not Disturb (DND) and crash risk amongst high school aged drivers - Ms. Chidera Ejikeme (Brigham and Women's Hospital)

Falling Asleep at the Wheel: Understanding Sleep Attacks and Sleep-related Attentional Failures while Driving in Young Drivers and Associations with Motor Vehicle Crashes, Near Misses, and Nocturnal Sleep - Dr. Rebecca Robbins (Harvard Medical School)

Challenges in Teen Driving Safety - Led by Dr. Charlie Klauer (VTTI) and including Dr. Lesheng Hua (VTTI), Dr. Johnathon Ehsani (JHU), and Dr. John Lenneman (Toyota)

Session Chair – Ms. Jenna Darrah, MS

The influence of unsafe human behaviors on nighttime pedestrian crash injury severity at intersections - Mr. Sheikh Muhammad Usman, MA (University of Tennessee Knoxville)

Drug Testing of Other Road Users: Toxicology Testing and Data Gaps - Dr. Ryan Smith (Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility)

Alcohol and Drug Prevalence Among Seriously or Fatally Injured Other Road Users - Ms. Amy Berning, MA (Independent Research Consultant) and Dr. Dennis Thomas (Dunlap)

Impaired Vulnerable Road Users
(Due to Alcohol or Other Drugs)

Meet the DARTS 2026 Hosts