Our Mission

We aim to make roads safer by researching the connection between humans and vehicles. We are home to the National Advanced Driving Simulator, and we now have a new name for our broader institute: the Driving Safety Research Institute.

News

Cameras mounted on the exterior of the driver and passenger side doors capture lane position.

Medical research meets driving research

Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Does exercise change driving performance in patients with Parkinson’s disease? 
Tesla and Ford Transit, UI automated vehicles

Creating an Automated Shuttle for America’s Backroads

Thursday, January 28, 2021
An automated shuttle bus is about to hit Iowa roads next summer. Here's a brief update on our ADS for Rural America project by ADAPT, including how our vehicle is becoming automated at AutonomouStuff, LLC to how COVID-19 has impacted the project.
Visiting scientist Felix Ellensohn

International scholars partner on research projects

Monday, January 25, 2021
Visiting scientists from around the world come to NADS to work on research projects for sometimes months at a time and collaborate with our experts. One such example was in fall 2019, with Felix Ellensohn from the Technical University of Munich, Germany.

Countermeasures to reduce drowsy driving

Monday, January 25, 2021
Teen driver study

Teens at the wheel

Wednesday, January 20, 2021
When parents are in the vehicle with their teenage driver, crash rates are low. However, as soon as teens are by themselves, the crash rates skyrocket. Can new-driver training programs be used to effectively lower those rates?
2020 Annual Report cover

Highlights from 2020

Monday, January 11, 2021
Learn more about our major accomplishments from FY20, including ADS for Rural America, cannabis and driving, teens at the wheel, human factors, connected simulation, Parkinson's disease, new options on miniSim, and more
Iowa Magazine: The Road to the Future Runs Through Iowa

The Road to the Future Runs Through Iowa

Tuesday, December 15, 2020
University of Iowa researchers at the National Advanced Driving Simulator pave the way for the automated vehicles of tomorrow. But how soon before self-driving cars get here? Iowa's rural roads could hold the key.
A research assistant demonstrates how vaporized cannabis is inhaled using heated air in place of cannabis.

Drugged driving research: Major findings 2010–2020

Monday, December 14, 2020
A quick summary of our major drugged driving research findings from the past 10 years.
Automated shuttle bus on rural Iowa road

ADS for Rural America

Learn more about our Automated Driving Systems (ADS) for Rural America project, which drove a partially-automated shuttle bus through Iowa City, Hills, Riverside, and Kalona, Iowa. 

NADS-1 bay, 3D globe image

Tour our tech

Take a 360 degree virtual tour of our facility, and learn more about our technology and expertise.