VTTI/VT researchers and students represented the Safe-D National UTC to Congress at the UTC Spotlight Conference in Washington, DC.
On Tuesday, May 14th, the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) and Research, Education, and Training Reauthorization Coalition (RETRC) held the University Transportation Centers (UTC) Spotlight Conference at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. This conference was an opportunity for UTC program-supported and other transportation research activities to showcase their research for Congress and other stakeholders. In addition, several small Congressional and UTC Panels discussed the current state of the transportation field and how it will be changing in the future. There was also a Congressional Keynote presented by Earl Blumeanauer.
Several members of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) attended and presented at the conference as representatives of the Safety through Disruption (Safe-D) National UTC. Thet projects that the Safe-D UTC chose to highlight on their poster were Safety Perceptions of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) by the Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI), which aimed to assess how the BVI population’s safety perceptions of TNCs, or ridesharing companies, compare to other modes of travel in order to better address the transportation challenges faced by the visually impaired, and the Automated Truck-Mounted Attenuator (ATMA), where the goal was to develop an automated control system for TMA vehicles using a short following distance, leader follower control concept which will remove the driver from the at risk TMA vehicle.
It was an honor for VTTI to attend the event, exhibit their research to members of Congress, and learn about other projects being done across the country creating positive impacts on vehicle safety.