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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

We were recently featured in an NBC National News segment about vehicle touchscreens and distracted driving. Watch and find out how distracting touchscreens and cell phones are to drivers.

Death and injury among road-users is up to an alarming rate according to a recent study by NHTSA and local researchers. They found that 55.8% of people seriously injured or killed in road crashes tested positive for one or more drugs.

New data from a NHSTA study, in partnership with the University of Iowa, show 45.3% of seriously injured drivers reporting to the Emergency Department tested positive for at least one drug. The top two were alcohol and cannabinoids.

Our 2022 annual report is here! We have spent the past year researching automated vehicles, traffic safety, drugged driving, and much more. Plus, read about our upcoming name change to "Driving Safety Research Institute" on page 3.

FY22 resulted in a number of system upgrades and custom development for the miniSim team.

The theme this past year with much of our drugged-driving research has revolved around various methods of detecting driving impairment from cannabis use.

For more than two decades, the Iowa DOT has been encouraging Iowa communities to consider converting certain four-lane streets to three lanes (also known as a “road diet”) with the aim to improve safety and reduce crashes. 

Spearheaded by the Iowa DOT, the Iowa Advisory Council on Automated Transportation (ATC) is setting the course for the future of automated transportation in Iowa.

Three high school students spent this past summer making enhancements to a robot car.

The University of Iowa National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) has secured a contract with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a project that will look at roadway interactions between human-driven and automated vehicles.

Thomas Burt is a graduate research assistant at the National Advanced Driving Simulator and an Industrial and Systems Engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Iowa who spent his summer as an intern for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Dr. Daniel V. McGehee, director of the National Advanced Driving Simulator, is featured in WalletHub's recent article about the Best Cities to Drive in.

The recording is now available for webinar about our vehicle, including details on the installed hardware and integrated software system, along with some lessons learned and advice for others embarking on similar projects.

Automated Driving System program looks to raise the bar for self-driving in the country.

Help us welcome our new assistant research scientist Justin Mason. Check out this quick Q&A to learn more about what drives Mason's research and why he chose the University of Iowa.