http://www.umtri.umich.edu/ News from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute en-us 2008, The University of Michigan umtri@umich.edu (UMTRI Editor) umtri@umich.edu (UMTRI Rss) Thu, 04 Nov 2004 08:00:00 EST Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:11:11 EST http://www.umtri.umich.edu/news.php?id=1948 UMTRI was approved for Phase II funding by the U.S. DOT to test technologies that help passenger car and commercial truck drivers avoid crashes. UMTRI, along with partners Visteon Corp., Eaton Corp., Honda R and D Americas, Inc., Cognex Corp., International Truck and Engine Corporation, Con-way Freight, Battelle, and the Michigan Department of Transportation, is developing and testing a prototype integrated crash warning system, the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System (IVBSS). IVBSS will warn drivers when they are about to leave the roadway, are in danger of colliding with another vehicle while attempting a lane change, or are at risk of colliding with the vehicle ahead. It will use information gathered by inertial, video, and radar sensors, plus a global positioning system, to warn drivers of potentially dangerous situations to prevent or lessen the impact of crashes. http://www.umtri.umich.edu/news.php?id=1901 A recent UMTRI study found that approximately 200 fetuses could be saved each year with proper seatbelt buckling each time a pregnant woman travels in an automobile. An estimated 370 fetuses die as a result of car crashes each year in the United States. The research debunks a long-standing myth that wearing a seatbelt is not safe for pregnant women. http://www.umtri.umich.edu/news.php?id=1884 On March 27, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a new child restraint law. Effective July 1, the law will require the use of approved booster seats for children between the ages of four and eight and less than 4 feet 9 inches tall. Several UMTRI researchers have provided technical data over the past few years to support passing this law. http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/57737 A recent UMTRI study examined unlawful left-lane usage on non-congested two-lane rural freeways in Michigan. Traffic observations showed that drivers do not always remain in the right lane of two-lane sections of rural freeways when not passing other vehicles, as the law states. The study investigated replacing current "Slower Traffic Keep Right" signs with "Keep Right, Pass Left – It's the Law" signs. Results showed that the new signs did not affect behavior. http://www.umtri.umich.edu/news.php?id=1812 Dr. Michael Kokkolaras, associate research scientist in U-M's Department of Mechanical Engineering, has accepted a 20 percent appointment at UMTRI to foster collaboration to improve occupant restraint systems. Kokkolaras is working with UMTRI's Matt Reed to address the challenge of optimizing restraint system performance for a wide range of occupant characteristics and crash types. This work is made more timely by the stepped-up pressure on manufacturers to increase fuel economy, which will likely lead to lighter vehicles. Their goal is to help to improve restraint systems so that occupant protection continues to improve even as some types of vehicles become lighter. http://www.umtri.umich.edu/news.php?id=1747 An UMTRI study finds that graduated driver licensing programs for teen drivers throughout the U.S. should be even more restrictive than they currently are. Researchers Ray Bingham, Jean Shope, Julie Parow, and Trivellore Raghunathan studied data from nearly 7,000 teen drivers, Michigan State Police crash records, and Michigan Secretary of State driver history records. They found teens are at excess risk for all crash types. Teens are about two-and-a-half times more likely to be in a crash than adults, but certain factors result in large increases in risk: having passengers, driving on weekends, and driving at night. Saturday Sunday 0 1 2 3 4 5 19 20 21 22 23