Program areas at AAAFTS
Research: in 2022, the Foundation published 13 new Traffic Safety reports, initiated 9 new Traffic Safety research contracts/agreements, began 4 in-house studies, and continued work on 12 Traffic Safety research projects initiated in previous years.the Foundation funded, managed, and/or performed research in 2022 detailed in the following reports (in chronological order by date of publication): self-reported risky driving in relation to changes in amount of driving during the covid-19 pandemic, 2021 virtual forum on the impact of vehicle technologies and automation on users: a summary report, effectiveness of distracted driving countermeasures: an expanded and updated review of the scientific and gray literatures, an examination of how longer-term exposure and user experiences affect drivers' mental models of adas technology, public understanding and perception of automated vehicles, united states, 2018 2020, use of potentially impairing medication in relation to driving, united states, 2021, Traffic fatalities on urban roads and streets in relation to speed limits and speeding, united states, 2010 2019, countermeasures to reduce drowsy driving: results of a literature review and discussion with experts, 2022 forum on the impact of vehicle technologies and automation on users: a summary report, american driving survey 2020 2021, human-machine interfaces and vehicle automation: a review of the literature and recommendations for system design, feedback, and alerts, 2021 Traffic Safety culture index, Traffic Safety impact of the covid-19 pandemic: fatal crashes relative to pre-pandemic trends, united states, may- december 2020.foundation research findings are used to support national public awareness campaigns, such as national teen driver Safety week and drowsy driving prevention week. They are also used to develop educational materials, and support advocacy efforts of Aaa and other Traffic Safety advocacy organizations. Foundation research findings on pedestrian Safety have been cited in numerous state and local transportation department "vision zero" plans outlining needed Safety improvements. All of these efforts are ultimately designed to influence and affect real world improvements in Traffic Safety. Foundation research has also supported our numerous partnerships in the transportation and Safety communities. Foundation co-sponsored research projects with the safer-sim university transportation center to examine drivers' understandings and interactions with advanced driver-assistance systems. The Foundation began a new cooperative agreement with johns hopkins university to help Traffic Safety stakeholders advocate effectively for the implementation of the safe system approach in their communities. The Foundation also worked with the collaborative sciences center for road Safety (cscrs) university transportation center to understand the reasons for the increasing trend in pedestrian fatalities and identify ways to address it. Finally, in 2022, the Foundation initiated research projects which include the following goals: exploring the barriers with low adoption of technology-based distraction countermeasures; examining the effectiveness of usage-based insurance applications; and creating training materials for advanced driver assistance systems (adas). In addition, the Foundation continued work on several active research projects begun in prior years including: examining countermeasures to reduce drowsy driving; examining countermeasures to reduce driver distraction; predicting the future societal Safety impact of vehicle automation; predicting driver's readiness to retake control during partially automated driving; investigating how exposure to advanced driver assistance systems influences drivers' mental models of the systems; longitudinal research on aging drivers (the longroad study), and 2 separate projects examining countermeasures to protect roadside service and incident response personnel.
Education and outreach: all research reports and findings produced by the Aaa Foundation are available online to the general public, free of charge. Additionally, the Foundation produces complementary materials for each project so that visitors to the website can find key takeaways from each study. These may include fact sheets, research briefs, infographics, etc. The Aaa Foundation has provided outreach through conferences, forums and workshops, to a range of audiences including technical experts, key stakeholders, and the general public, with the goal of effecting real-world improvements in Traffic Safety. In 2022, Foundation research findings were presented at numerous conferences and events including: a robert f. borkenstein course on "the effects of drugs on human performance and behavior; a transportation research board workshop titled "novel methods for assessing the prevalence of drugged driving; the national sleep Foundation's virtual conference on sleep and adolescent health; old dominion university; pss innovations for Safety webinar; toyota csrc; hfes annual meeting fellows poster session; the ite annual meeting; the trb annual meeting; and the sip-adus workshop in japan. The Aaa Foundation's presence at these conferences helped spread Aaa Foundation's research and mission to diverse audiences. The Aaa Foundation had exhibit booths at the institute of transportation engineers annual meeting and the transportation research board annual meeting in 2022. Throughout the covid-19 pandemic, the Aaa Foundation remained a relevant resource to media and consumers alike especially as americans returned to the road after weeks, even months, of not driving routinely. The Aaa Foundation also strives to publish much of our research in leading peer-reviewed scientific and technical journals to ensure that our most important research findings are shared with the scientific community and policymakers. In 2022, research performed and/or funded by the Aaa Foundation was published in peer-reviewed journals including: journal of adolescent health; transportation research part f: Traffic psychology and behaviour; and human factors.finally, on april 5 6, 2022, the Foundation convened its fifth forum on the impact of vehicle technologies and automation on users in collaboration with the Arizona state university and the Arizona commerce authority. The forum featured presentations from 10 leading experts from automotive industries and academia as well as breakout groups where 75 attendees discussed the most pressing research needs and issues to ensure that emerging vehicle automation technologies will be deployed, understood, and used in ways that enhance transportation Safety.