Data and Research Track Workshop Descriptions

The Impact of Laws, Enforcement and Penalties on Seat Belt Use

A new NHTSA-funded study shows a surprisingly strong relationship between penalties and observed belt use. Higher fines make a difference in both primary and secondary enforcement states. Learn more about this study as well as what happened when Maine changed from secondary to primary enforcement.

Recent Impaired Driving Research

This workshop will focus on the results of a region-wide impaired driving enforcement effort as well as the results of a seven state survey of enforcement strategies and their effectiveness.

Distracted Driving-A Review of Relevant Research and Latest Findings

Distracted driving has drawn more attention than any other traffic safety issue over the past year but quantifying the impact of cell phone use, texting and other driving distractions on injuries and fatalities is difficult. Participants in this workshop will learn about the latest efforts by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Safety Council to measure the effects of distracted driving.

Novice Driver and GDL Research and Survey Results

Get the most up-to-date information on the effectiveness of major components of graduated driver licensing systems, information that can help make the argument for upgrading your state's GDL law.

Formulation of Older Driver Licensing Policy for Enhanced Safety

Research tells us that a rapidly growing population of older drivers will have major impacts on safety and freedom of independent mobility among the aging. Participants in this workshop will hear from safety experts about recent actions taken to develop, evaluate and build consensus around licensing policies designed to improve safety and continued mobility among older drivers.

Trends in Older Driver Safety

The aging of America's baby boomer generation has created a variety of important implications for older drivers, their families and policymakers across the country. Participants in this workshop will gain a thorough understanding of the challenges posed by an aging population of drivers including recent trends in older driver crashes, who is at risk of motor vehicle-related injury involving an older driver, and those behaviors and situations that put older drivers at greatest risk.

Vehicle Technology Advancements and Research

The latest crashworthiness and crash avoidance technologies in the marketplace currently or to be offered in the near future will be discussed. Hear what vehicle manufacturers and senior NHTSA staff have to say.

Strategies to Reduce Unrestrained or Improperly Restrained Children

This workshop focuses on an intense ongoing enforcement program to promote booster seat use in North Central Washington State. Other strategies to promote best practice vehicle restraint use by children will also be discussed.

The Strategic Highway Research Project

The second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) is carrying out the largest naturalistic driving study ever undertaken. This study will examine driving behavior of 3000 volunteer drivers in six locations in the US to better understand the interaction of driver behavior with vehicle, infrastructure and other factors. The study will produce a rich data source and tools to use the data to answer important highway safety questions and design more effective safety solutions. SHRP 2 is a targeted research program that addresses four strategic focus areas: the role of human behavior in highway safety; rapid renewal of aging highway infrastructure; congestion reduction through improved travel time reliability; and transportation planning that better integrates community, economic, and environmental considerations into new highway capacity. This panel will focus on the naturalistic study and how it will be used to promote highway safety.

Lifesavers Conference, Inc. • PO Box 30045 • Alexandria, VA 22310 • 703-922-7944 • 703-922-7780 (fax)

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