Transportation Expertise
UMTRI is committed to interdisciplinary transportation-related research that will ultimately increase driving safety and further transportation systems knowledge.
UMTRI provides industry research and analysis, information resources, and communication forums that meet the evolving needs of automotive and related industries worldwide. Staff members have broad expertise with issues relating to the automotive industry.
UMTRI collects large datasets from vehicle- and site-based instrumentation, in-depth telephone accident surveys, and state and federal crash databases. Collecting reliable, accurate and well-calibrated data is an essential first step in using that data for statistical analysis, model validation, and system evaluation. Our data systems have been evolving since the early 1970s to meet the highest possible standards of accuracy, integrity, and usability. Data is managed via networked servers, using SQL server technology and an in-house automated data access and analysis system (ADAAS). UMTRI researchers use the ever-growing pool of vehicle, driving, and crash data to answer a wide range of research questions.
Research in Impact Biomechanics uses laboratory experiments with human surrogates and volunteers to study the mechanical response of the human body to dynamic loading and to study the mechanisms and tolerances of the different body regions to injury. The results are used to develop new injury criteria and injury assessment tools that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of new restraint technologies and design countermeasures. Injury assessment tools include improved anthropomorphic test devices (crash dummies), test procedures, and computer models that simulate occupant kinematics and dynamics. Impact biomechanics research at UMTRI also involves testing with ATDs to develop improved test procedures for evaluating occupant protection for the specialized populations of children and occupants who are seated in wheelchairs while traveling.
UMTRI researchers develop and test vehicle-based technologies for avoiding run-off-the-road crashes in passenger vehicles. They also study automotive collision avoidance, in-vehicle driver-assistance and safety systems, and integrated technologies between the vehicle and the infrastructure.
UMTRI researchers develop methods for surveying the use and misuse of occupant protection systems such as safety belts and child safety seats. They track trends in state occupant protection use, develop and evaluate occupant protection systems and programs, and provide technical support to communities.
UMTRI researchers possess a strong foundation of engineering principles and analytical methods to explain the performance of automotive vehicles.
Vehicle Ergonomics research deals with the physical interaction of motor-vehicle occupants with the vehicle interior during normal operating conditions. It includes studies to understand the effects of occupant body dimensions and vehicle interior design factors on driver and passenger posture, position, and perception of accommodation and comfort. Results of these studies are used to develop and upgrade industry practices and models for vehicle design, and to establish criteria for determining levels of occupant accommodation. The results have been used to design a new seating manikin for improved measurement and characterization of vehicle seats and interior package geometry. They have also been used in the development of a new seating accommodation model (SAM) that predicts the distribution of driver fore-aft positioning based on population stature and key vehicle package factors. The SAM has been applied to develop an improved procedure for positioning different size crash dummies in a manner that is representative of the occupant size represented by the ATD. Data from Biosciences' studies of standard and in-vehicle anthropometry of children and adults are widely used in the design of new crash dummies, improved seating and restraint systems, and in numerous other product safety applications.