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Teen crash risk highest during first three months after getting driver’s license
Teenage drivers are eight times more likely to be involved in a collision or near miss during the first three months after getting a driver’s license, compared to the previous three months on a learner’s permit, suggests a new study led by the National Institutes of Health.
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VTTI on pace to surpass milestones, advance transportation solutions
The transportation landscape is rapidly evolving, and VTTI—along with its affiliated corporation, the Global Center for Automotive Performance Simulation—is keeping pace to address industry needs while ensuring the safety of transportation users.
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Register for the Seventh International Symposium on Naturalistic Driving Research
The National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence at VTTI will host the Seventh International Symposium on Naturalistic Driving Research in Blacksburg, Virginia on August 28-30.
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Local high school students explore driving safety at VTTI
VTTI researchers spoke with local high school students about teen driving risks and demonstrated ways to become safe drivers, during its School Day program.
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Transportation institute awarded $2.7 million in federal contracts on lighting, fuel-efficient automation
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has received two U.S. Department of Energy contracts totaling $2.7 million to study eco-conscious solutions for roadway lighting and automated-vehicle design.
Welcome from the Director
It is rare to have a career in which one feels they are truly making a difference. It is rarer still to work with others–faculty, staff, and students–who are dedicated to such a daunting endeavor. But that is what makes VTTI unique. This is a community with a voracious desire to dig deep to find the solutions that will ensure the safety of all ground transportation users, from truck and car drivers to motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. This is a community that is dedicated to creating a sustainable transportation system and to preserving our mobility, our infrastructure, and our environment.
It has been more than 25 years since VTTI was founded. Then called the Center for Transportation Research, we encompassed 15 employees. Today, we stand at more than 475 employees, house the largest group of driving safety researchers in the world, annually see sponsored research expenditures of more than $36 million, have an infrastructure worth more than $110 million, and support more than 140 undergraduate and graduate students who are gaining first-hand knowledge into the field of transportation research.
This is but a snapshot of what VTTI has accomplished. What we will continue to accomplish is nothing short of our core mission: to save lives, save time, save money, and protect the environment.
Virginia Smart Road
The Virginia Smart Road is a unique, state-of-the-art, full-scale, closed test-bed research facility managed by VTTI and owned and maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The Smart Road continues to play an important role in the overall success of the institute and its research endeavors. Transportation scientists and product developers have spent more than 20,000 hours conducting research on this high-tech highway since its opening.
Anne Deekens