Discussions Advancing Research in Transportation Safety

DARTS

2026 Topic Areas

Session Chair – Timothy Wright, PhD

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

An Integrated Multivariate Econometric Modeling Framework for Risky Driving Behavior Related Crashes: Evaluating Crash Risk and Severity Across Zones - Pabitra Kumar Roy (Portland State University)

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

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

Distracted Drivers

Seat Belts and Occupant Safety

Session Chair – Larry Decina, MS

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

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

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

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

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

Research on Older Adults’ Mobility (ROAM)

Session Chair – Alycia Bayne, MPA

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

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

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

Teen and Senior Traffic Safety Risks - 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 - Suman Mitra (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville)

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

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

Novice Drivers

Session Chair – Charlie Klauer, PhD

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

How Family Support and Driver Education Shape Early Licensure Patterns and Crash Outcomes - 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 - Jennifer Zakrajsek (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute)

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Use of Do Not Disturb (DND) and crash risk amongst high school aged drivers - 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 - Rebecca Robbins (Harvard Medical School)

Challenges in Teen Driving Safety - Led by Charlie Klauer (VTTI)

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

Session Chair – Jenna Darrah, MS

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

Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis Among US Young Adults: Evidence from the 2021–2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health - Yuni Tang (Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

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

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

Meet the DARTS 2026 Hosts