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

Automated shuttle bus on rural Iowa road

Ride with us! Participation sign-up now open

Thursday, September 9, 2021
Want to ride in a partially automated vehicle with us? We’re now looking for people who are age 65 or older, have a disability that affects their mobility (age 25 or older), or have low vision impairment (age 25 or older). We’ll be stopping in Iowa City, Hills, Riverside, and Kalona.
Driving Assessment 2021

Driving Assessment student award winners announced

Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Another successful Driving Assessment conference is in the books! Student award winners included Linda Pipkorn of Chalmers, Erika Ziraldo of University of Guelph, and Katelyn Schwieters of University of Minnesota.
Staff member Cherie Roe speaks with members of the public at the Johnson County Fair

Summer outreach events

Tuesday, July 27, 2021
We've had a great time so far this summer attending local outreach events to talk to people about our ADS for Rural America project. We've been to three of the four communities along our project route: Riverside, Hills, and Iowa City.
a smoker exhaling

Study: Marijuana’s impact on driving is strain-specific

Wednesday, July 7, 2021
In a study published in Traffic Injury Prevention, our researchers found that effects on driving performance after cannabis use can depend on the type of high that the user experiences. Cannabis use that produces more stimulation results in less impact on driving, while use that produces a more stoned or high feeling results in worse driving performance.
Map of the United States with Iowa ranked 30th for teen driving safety

2021’s Best and Worst States for Teen Drivers

Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Check out our Director Dan McGehee’s expert take on teen driving safety and a ranking of the best states for teen drivers. Do you agree with Iowa’s ranking?
Automated shuttle bus on rural Iowa road

Photo Gallery: ADS for Rural America

Monday, June 14, 2021
Learn more about our ADS for Rural America project and our newly-equipped Ford Transit shuttle bus, set to be on Iowa roads later this summer.

O’Neal receives NICHD award to further study teen driving safety

Friday, May 21, 2021
Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth O'Neal, a postdoctoral research scholar at the National Advanced Driving Simulator and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, for receiving a K99/R00 Award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
ADS shuttle bus LiDAR

Case study: Automated Driving Systems for Rural America

Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Our tech partners Hexagon | AutonomouStuff in Morton, Illinois, have been busy with the final software integration and testing of our new automated vehicle, set to hit Iowa rural roads this summer.
KCRG TV9 News with John Gaspar at NADS

Iowa State Patrol focus on bad driving habits with enforcement project, say distracted driving plays a role

Thursday, April 29, 2021
KCRG TV9 News reports on the rise in distracted driving, what law enforcement has seen, and the research being done on distracted driving at the University of Iowa National Advanced Driving Simulator.
KWWL: distracted driving

Expert says driver distraction is becoming more dangerous in Iowa

Tuesday, April 27, 2021
NADS Director Dan McGehee talks with KWWL on the dangers of distracted driving, especially on Iowa's unforgiving roads.
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.