Center for Automotive Safety Research

About the Center

The Center for Automotive Safety Research specializes in researching the causes of automobile crashes and ways to prevent them. Its mission is to conduct research and development efforts to advance knowledge in the light vehicle domain and provide solutions to real-world situations. The center is comprised of two research groups:

The Advanced Product Testing and Evaluation (APTE) group tests in-vehicle systems for industry.

The Light Vehicle Safety (LiVeS) group conducts federally funded research projects to advance safety on our roadways.

About the Director

Dr. Jonathan Hankey is the Director of the Center for Automotive Safety Research. He is also the Associate Director for VTTI. Dr. Hankey's formal training is in human factors and safety. His current research includes naturalistic driving, driver behavior in imminent crash situations, collision countermeasure evaluation, distracted driver assessment, safety benefit estimation, and new technology evaluation.

Dr. Hankey has conducted extensive transportation research on public roads, on the Smart Road test track, and in driving simulators. He has authored or co-authored over 50 scientific articles and technical reports.

Current Work

General Motors Blanket Agreement

Four projects under the $4.8 million General Motors (GM) Blanket Agreement are underway to examine various aspects of driver-vehicle interfaces.

40-Teen Study

This study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, is an 18-month study to better understand the issues associated with newly licensed teen drivers who are at a much higher crash risk when compared to other drivers.

ACAT

The Cooperative Agreement for Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program (ACAT) backing systems project will assess the ability of advanced technologies to mitigate backing-related crashes and refine a safety impact tool to assess the potential safety benefit of these technologies.

The Practice Driving Study

This research, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, assesses the factors that are important during the practice driving phase when a teenager is driving with a learner's permit. Driving skill and safety outcomes will also be assessed.

Older Driver Naturalistic Observation Study

This study is a one-year study to better understand older drivers (75+) who are at a much higher crash and fatality risk per mile driven compared with younger drivers. It examines how older adults drive, their impairment profiles, and what situations are the riskiest for this group.

Previous Work

100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study

This study, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC), and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), sought to investigate naturalistic driving behavior in an urban environment. Researchers instrumented 80 privately owned vehicles and 20 leased vehicles with a data collection system consisting of five cameras and a sensor suite that gathered continuous data for approximately 12 months.

Effects of Experience on the Driving Performance of Novice Teen Drivers

A precursor to the 40-Teen Naturalistic Driving Study, this effort was solely a Smart Road test-track effort with 18 novice teens and 18 experienced adult drivers.

Rear Lighting Follow-On

This was a multi-year project to evaluate the potential of a new rear signaling system warning drivers of a slowing or stopped vehicle. Overall, the findings of this study helped identify what lighting system enhancements should be evaluated in a large-scale fleet test that may be conducted at a later time.

Logo Motherboard

This research was conducted to test the safety and acceptance of logo motherboards containing more than one service type. Based on the overall survey and database analysis results, changes to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) are recommended to allow more than six Food logos spread over multiple motherboards.

Risky Driving Behavior and Safety Outcomes

This study, funded by American Automobile Association (AAA), enhances the understanding of the relationship between risky driving and crashes, near crashes, and conflicts using the 100-Car Study database. It will help direct future research and interventions aimed at reducing risky driving.

Driving Performance in the Presence and Absence of Billboards

This research, sponsored by the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education, was undertaken to determine whether there is any change in driving behavior in the presence or absence of billboards.