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
ADS for Rural America project update: Dec. 2021
Friday, December 10, 2021
The ADS for Rural America project launched in October 2021 and has completed its first phase of data collection. See an example map and learn more about the roles of the safety driver and co-pilot.
Students build miniSims, on-the-job experience
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Ben Berhow and Wil Comer—two seniors majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa—both landed part-time jobs with the miniSim team at the National Advanced Driving Simulator this past year, giving them valuable on-the-job experience.
Researchers identify brain markers that signify cannabis impairment, win ‘top paper’ award
Friday, October 22, 2021
In an important step toward identifying who is too impaired to drive due to cannabis use, a team of researchers from the University of Iowa and Advanced Brain Monitoring found there are specific markers in brain activity linked to cannabis intoxication that consistently and negatively impact driving performance.
Podcast: The Latest Research on Drugged Driving with Timothy Brown, PhD
Thursday, October 7, 2021
Research Scientist Timothy Brown, PhD, at the National Advanced Driving Simulator discusses his extensive experience in drugged driving research studies: specifically, his work on the dangers of prescription drug and marijuana use while driving.
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 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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Pagination
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.
Tour our tech
Take a 360 degree virtual tour of our facility, and learn more about our technology and expertise.