Transportation
Seat belt law tightens in West Virginia
West Virginia drivers may now be pulled over for seat belt violations – by themselves, without any other infractions – if a new measure recently approved by the state’s House of Delegates 55-44 is passed by the Senate.
Digital signage is a distracted driving hazard
Even without smartphones, screaming kids, backseat drivers and in-vehicle displays, driving can be dangerous. The open road may pose one of the biggest — and, incidentally, legal — distractions of all. LED billboards, as a recent study, “A field study on the effects of digital billboards on glance behavior during highway driving,” suggests, may pose […]
Which states have the most stop signs per mile of road?
There’s a lot of information about building and urban design habits hidden in our sales data. This week, we thought we’d look at the number of stop signs we’ve sold across all of our sites – I was curious about which states have the highest density of intersections. (Also, I remember driving from Virginia to […]
What new automotive tech actually interests drivers?
Plenty of new technologies, fuel alternatives and smart vehicle options are out on the market. The result: a better driving experience, and a cleaner, greener carbon footprint. But are consumers actually opting for these options? A new study from researchers hailing from the Korea Environment Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Georgia Institute of technology, […]
Recent study finds reasons to walk to school, and why certain kids aren’t
Everyone has that one relative who can’t wait to regale them with stories of “When I was your age, I trudged to school in the middle of a snowstorm…” These days, kids are walking to school less and less. The results have greater implications than just a lack of stories to tell their future grandkids […]
Motion sickness a stumbling block for autonomous vehicles
Self-driving cars are set to reduce traffic congestion, spur environmental improvements, and lower mobility costs for (former) drivers. As recent study “Self-driving Carsickness” shows, autonomous vehicles may also be linked with an uptick in carsickness — and fully autonomous vehicles may cause symptoms profound enough to limit the impact of these otherwise life-changing vehicles. But there is hope: The study also […]
How protected bike lanes can combat discrimination
A new report from PeopleForBikes and Alliance for Biking & Walking has yielded some fascinating insights about cycling. “Building Equity: Race, ethnicity, class, and protected bike lanes: An idea book for fairer cities,” focuses on how transportation can be a great equalizer through the use of protected bike lanes. The report draws on the a […]
7 tips for effective road safety campaigns
Is there a science behind an effective traffic safety campaign? Not necessarily, but science does have something to say about why campaigns succeed or fail. A new study, “Persuasive appeals in road safety communication campaigns: Theoretical frameworks and practical implications from the analysis of a decade of road safety campaign materials,” offers significant guidance for how […]
How to make electric vehicles cost-effective
Battery electric vehicles, or BEVs, have the potential to play a huge role in decarbonizing transportation, but the economics still have to be worked out – consumers need strong reasons to purchase BEVs, since their range is lower than gas-powered vehicles. A recent study, What is needed for battery electric vehicles to become socially cost […]
How much money do road diets save?
Can road diets do more than promote safety and save space for pedestrians — can they also save cash? Turning a four-lane undivided road into three lanes, and then converting the fourth lane into bike lanes, sidewalks, on-street parking, or a combination is widely thought to benefit the primary users of the extra space, but […]
Despite awareness of risks, 91% of teens text while driving
Three of young drivers’ riskiest driving behaviors have come under scrutiny in two recent studies, chronicled in “Prevalence of texting while driving and other risky driving behaviors among young people in Ontario, Canada,” by researchers Sean Tucker, Simon Pek, Jayne Morrish and Megan Ruf. The two studies reported on how prevalent texting while driving is — […]
