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

Webinar 4 screenshot

ADS for Rural America Webinar 4: Data Portal recording now available

Thursday, April 13, 2023
The recording is now available from our fourth ADS for Rural America webinar, this one focusing on our data portal and accessing our data.
River to River, Iowa Public Radio

The Hazards of Distracted Driving: McGehee on Iowa Public Radio

Friday, March 10, 2023
One in 5 crashes in Iowa are caused by distracted driving. Our director, Dan McGehee talks on Iowa Public Radio's River to River about the hazards of distracted driving.
Hands over a steering wheel

Elon Musk has promised self-driving Teslas for years. Experts say it's not even close.

Monday, February 27, 2023
This Business Insider article discussed the future of autonomous vehicles with comments from University of Iowa Driving Safety Research Institute director, Daniel McGehee.
ADS for Rural America Ford transit on rural road

ADS for Rural America: Lessons learned so far

Monday, February 20, 2023
As of fall 2022, we're more than halfway done with our 2.5-year ADS for Rural America Project. The development of any new technology requires lessons learned along the way. This article explores the lessons we have learned in the first half of this U.S. DOT-funded demonstration project.
Voice Control Buttons

An alternative to touchscreens? In-car voice control is finally good

Thursday, February 16, 2023
This Ars Technica article features commentary from University of Iowa Driving Safety Research Institute director, Daniel McGehee.
Stefan Plaettner stands by the viewing window of the NADS-1 simulator

DSRI welcomes Fulbright scholar Stefan Plaettner

Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Join us in welcoming Stefan Plaettner, visiting Fulbright scholar from the Technical University of Dresden to the University of Iowa Driving Safety Research Institute (DSRI).
NADS-1 simulator and automated Ford Transit

A new name for driving research at the University of Iowa

Monday, February 6, 2023
The University of Iowa National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) is excited to announce that the unit has been renamed to the University of Iowa Driving Safety Research Institute (DSRI). The name change was prompted to reflect both the unit’s established expertise in driving simulation and growing work in on-road driving research. The Driving Safety Research Institute will continue to house the NADS-1 simulator, along with its current fleet of on-road research vehicles.
Webinar 3 screenshot

Recording available for webinar 3: Rider and safety driver experience

Friday, February 3, 2023
A recording is now available of our third webinar on our ADS for Rural America project, which included video interviews of past riders, results of rider surveys (including their anxiety levels and perceptions of the technology), as well as safety driver experience and perceptions.
A bioptic telescope (pictured) is used by drivers in some states to read road signs.

Navigating with a visual impairment

Monday, January 30, 2023
The study is examining how drivers with and without visual impairments navigate while driving in an unfamiliar area, with the ultimate goal of finding safer alternatives to the use of a bioptic telescope.
Camry cab inside the NADS-1 simulator

Taking control in Level 3 Automation

Thursday, January 26, 2023
This article summarizes findings from two recent studies that our researchers have worked on with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) examining the various aspects of transition of control (TOC) between human drivers and periods of automated driving.
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.