Discussions Advancing Research in Transportation Safety

DARTS

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who attended DARTS 2026!

DARTS has not received funding for 2027. This site will be updated if that changes.

2026 Topic Areas

Distracted Drivers

Session Chair – Dr. Timothy Wright

Evidence Based Insights on Driver Attention and Alert Effectiveness - Dr. Alyssa Ryan (Michigan State University) and Dr. Saquib M. Haroon (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)

Effects of Control Modality on Driver Performance During Secondary Tasks - Mr. John Cliburn (George Mason University)

Uses of Artificial Intelligence for Behavioral Safety in the Trucking Context - Mr. Nanda Srinivasan, MS (Samsara)

Task Analysis of Five On-Road Vehicles - Mr. Ben Tankersley (Auburn University)

Drivers’ Opinions of and Experiences Using Subaru’s DriverFocus - Ms. Aimee Cox, MPH, CPH (IIHS)

Seat Belts and Occupant Safety

Session Chair – Mr. Larry Decina, MS

Child Occupant Protection Data and Innovation - Ms. Adele Polson (Westat)

Ride-hailing in the Safe System: Increased Seat Belt Compliance and Late Model Year Vehicles - Dr. Eamon Campolettano (Waymo)

Giving comfort and safety a boost: Evaluating comforts influence on belt positioning booster seat use - Dr. Rosalie Connell (Lafayette College)

Evaluation of LATCH vs. non-LATCH installations for boosters in frontal impacts - Dr. Julie Mansfield (The Ohio State University)

Using Behavioral Science and Community Input to Strengthen Rear-Facing Car Seat Messaging - Ms. Ann Edwards, MS (Old Dominion University)

Research on Older Adults’ Mobility (ROAM)

Session Chair – Ms. Alycia Bayne, MPA

Driver Monitoring and Feedback Systems for Older Drivers: Evidence from a Systematic Literature Review & Preliminary Qualitative Analysis - Ms. Nicole Booker, MA, and Dr. Johnathon Ehsani (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

Following the Journey: Portrait of an Older Driver - Dr. Anne Dickerson (East Carolina University)

Reaching a threshold to stop driving: lived experiences of people with dementia and their family caregivers - Dr. KJ Hansmann (University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health)

Teen and Senior Traffic Safety Risks - Dr. Bayliss Camp (CADMV)

From Unacquainted to Optimistic: How Transportation Barriers Shape Older Adults’ Familiarity with New Mobility Options and Perception of Autonomous Vehicles in a Rural State - Dr. Suman Mitra (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville)

Mobility and Oral Health: Transportation Data as a Lens on Access and Equity - Mr. Zeve Marcus, MA (ITNAmerica)

Exploring the Challenges and Rewards of Caregivers Who Provide Transportation Assistance to Older Adults - Dr. Colleen Peterson (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute)

Novice Drivers

Session Chair – Dr. Charlie Klauer

Monitoring and Feedback Systems for Young Drivers: Evidence from a Systematic Review - Dr. Johnathon Ehsani (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

How Family Support and Driver Education Shape Early Licensure Patterns and Crash Outcomes - Ms. Yuxi Shen (Michigan State University)

Evaluation of an App-Based Intervention Program for Teen Driver Speeding Mitigation and Intelligent Speed Assist Technology Use: Study Findings - Ms. Jennifer Zakrajsek, MA (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute)

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Use of Do Not Disturb (DND) and crash risk amongst high school aged drivers - Ms. Chidera Ejikeme (Brigham and Women's Hospital)

Falling Asleep at the Wheel: Understanding Sleep Attacks and Sleep-related Attentional Failures while Driving in Young Drivers and Associations with Motor Vehicle Crashes, Near Misses, and Nocturnal Sleep - Dr. Rebecca Robbins (Harvard Medical School)

Challenges in Teen Driving Safety - Led by Dr. Charlie Klauer (VTTI) and including Dr. Lesheng Hua (VTTI), Dr. Johnathon Ehsani (JHU), and Dr. John Lenneman (Toyota)

Session Chair – Ms. Jenna Darrah, MS

The influence of unsafe human behaviors on nighttime pedestrian crash injury severity at intersections - Mr. Sheikh Muhammad Usman, MA (University of Tennessee Knoxville)

Drug Testing of Other Road Users: Toxicology Testing and Data Gaps - Dr. Ryan Smith (Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility)

Alcohol and Drug Prevalence Among Seriously or Fatally Injured Other Road Users - Ms. Amy Berning, MA (Independent Research Consultant) and Dr. Dennis Thomas (Dunlap)

Impaired Vulnerable Road Users
(Due to Alcohol or Other Drugs)

Meet the DARTS 2026 Hosts