Tomorrow's Growth
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TTI’s Toyota Project Aims TTI and Texas A&M The Many Modes of to Proactively Detect Driver Organize, Lead Transportation Transportation Economics Stress, Vehicle Errors Technology Conference ResearcherTEXAS TRANSPORTATION VOL. 52 ❘ NO. 2 ❘ 2016 Tomorrow’s Growth: Nurtured by Research tti.tamu.edu TEXAS TRANSPORTATION VOL. 52 ❘ NO. 2 ❘ 2016 ON THE COVER: Research will play a more important role than ever in transitioning a transportation network largely built in the 20th century toward a system that meets the Researcher needs of the 21st century’s global economy. 5 7 10 12 3 10 17 Transportation Research: An Economic The Many Modes of Transportation TTI Advisory Council Necessity in a Time of Change Economics 18 4 12 TTI News TTI’s Toyota Project Aims to TTI and Texas A&M Organize, Lead Proactively Detect Driver Stress, Transportation Technology Conference 20 Vehicle Errors TTI Publications 14 6 Teens in the Driver Seat® Hosts The Future of Freight: Troubleshooting Annual Summit to Celebrate, Educate Texas’ Shipping Strategies and Student Advocates of Teen Driving Technologies Safety 8 16 Trending Upward: Recent The Infrastructure Magnet: Cross-Border Freight Traffic Might How Essential Is Transportation to Spell Good News for U.S. Economy Pulling In and Retaining Businesses? Publisher/Agency Director Writers Designers A PUBLICATION OF Dennis L. Christiansen, P.E. Rick Davenport Vicky Nelson Bernie Fette Stacy Schnettler Editor Terri Parker Chris Pourteau Chris Pourteau Photographer Texas Transportation Researcher Chris Sasser James Lyle is published by the Texas A&M Managing Editor Transportation Institute to inform Samantha Atchison Art Director readers about its research, professional and service activities. John Henry Copy Editors Opinions expressed in this publication Michelle Benoit by the editors/writers or the mention Kelly West TTI.RESR1604.0716.4500 of brand names does not necessarily imply endorsement by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute or The Follow TTI on: FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO POSTMASTER, PLEASE Texas A&M University System Board THIS NEWSLETTER OR SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: of Regents. TO UPDATE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION Texas Transportation Researcher INFORMATION: Texas A&M Transportation Institute Texas Transportation Researcher facebook.com/ttitamu Contact Dolores Hott TTI Communications (ISSN 00404748) is a quarterly twitter.com/TTI phone: (979) 845-4853 3135 TAMU publication of TTI Communications, linkedin.com/company/ email: [email protected] College Station, TX 77843-3135 Texas A&M Transportation Institute, texasa&mtransportationinstitute http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/ 3135 TAMU, College Station, Texas youtube.com/user/ttitamu researcher/subscriptions/ 77843-3135. Periodicals postage paid instagram.com/ttitamu/ at College Station. 2 by Dennis Christiansen Agency Director Transportation Research: An Economic Necessity in a Time of Change TRANSPORTATION TODAY IS IN TRANSITION. Congestion is clogging our roadways, particularly in urban areas, wasting fuel, polluting air, and negatively impacting the quality of life for everyday commuters. Expanding economies are demanding more responsiveness from our transportation system to optimize shipping and squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of the bottom line. Yet many of our roadways, bridges and other structures are in dire need of repair. Do we fix what we have — at the cost at every aspect of transportation — interests of Texas. And for the past seven of billions of dollars — or focus on ports, transit, highways and pipelines, years, TTI’s Center for International paving the way for the connected to name a few — to determine how Intelligent Transportation Research has and automated vehicle revolution to best to use the resources we have identified trends for freight movement already under way? Well, we have to to build the system we need. TTI’s across the U.S.-Mexico border to help do both. The world economy depends Center for Transportation Safety is both countries and Canada optimize on a healthy, mobile transportation studying how vehicle error and driver the process and, ultimately, benefit network to grow, so we must prioritize stress can be minimized to improve consumers. You’ll read about the not only how we maintain the current safety and, thereby, reduce the center’s latest conclusions in these pages. system, but also how we integrate new societal costs associated with them. technologies like self-driving cars into The Institute’s Transportation Policy How we get where we’re going and existing infrastructure. The challenge Research Center (PRC) has studied move goods to store shelves — to accomplish both these economic what factors are most important in through ports and over roads, by necessities simultaneously is becoming bringing businesses to Texas, and trains, planes and semi-trucks — is more acute with time. Yet, agencies are decision makers can use its findings changing. We can’t build our way finding their resources more stretched to make our state more attractive to out of our problems of congestion, than ever to meet that challenge. entrepreneurs. In fact, researchers pollution and rising shipping costs; working on PRC projects regularly we just don’t have the money. We That’s where transportation research brief the Texas Legislature on can’t simply snap our fingers and comes in. It’s part learning from the transportation issues to help members wake up in a future of automated past, part looking into the future, and understand the interdependence of vehicles talking seamlessly to roadside bridging the two as efficiently, safely transportation and economics and infrastructure. But by researching and cost-effectively as possible. This how they’re evolving together. the big questions and finding the issue of the Texas Transportation right answers, TTI can help mitigate Researcher looks at how Texas A&M Part of that change involves how we the growing pains of our maturing Transportation Institute (TTI) re- move freight from the manufacturer transportation network while searchers continue to solve problems to the marketplace. On behalf of the preserving, even enhancing, our plaguing our existing system while Texas Department of Transportation, nation’s economic vitality. also planning how best to transition TTI’s Multimodal Freight Program from the old to the new. personnel have examined more than 50 Tomorrow is coming. We all want it advanced freight-movement strategies to be prosperous. Choosing the right For example, TTI’s Infrastructure and technologies used around the world road to get there is what research is all ■ Investment Analysis Program looks to see which ones can serve the future about. TEXAS TRANSPORTATION RESEARCHER 3 To detect and measure stress levels, researchers examined 59 volunteer drivers who wore a heart-rate monitor and skin conductance device. Participants were videotaped using a thermal-imaging camera. TTI’s Toyota Project Aims to Proactively Detect Driver Stress, Vehicle Errors Can driver stress levels and abnormal vehicle operations be detected and measured to help prevent crashes? Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers and members of its multidisciplinary, multi-institution team have completed the second year of a three-year project looking at that question. So far, the answer seems to be a resounding “yes.” The TTI project is funded by the Toyota Economic Loss To detect and measure stress levels, researchers examined Settlement — money set aside for transportation safety 59 volunteer drivers who wore a heart-rate monitor and research. Robert Wunderlich, director of TTI’s Center for skin conductance device and were videotaped using a Transportation Safety, is the principal investigator and thermal-imaging camera. The volunteers drove the same leads a research team from TTI, Texas A&M’s Dwight Look driver simulation course in four different scenarios — College of Engineering, the University of Houston, the under normal conditions, while distracted with cognitively University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute challenging questions, while distracted with emotionally and Texas Tech University. charged questions, and while preoccupied with texting. 4 “It’s well known that high levels of stress can contribute to driver error by lowering reaction time, so alerting a stressed driver to that condition has the potential for improv- ing safety,” says Mike Manser, manager of TTI’s Human Factors Program. “Thanks to a multidisciplinary team of dedicated researchers, we’ve made real progress in the first key step of this project. We’re all very pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish.” In addition to detecting and measuring driver stress levels, the team is developing sensors able to detect vehicle errors — another potential crash factor. Researchers will then de- velop and test potential countermeasures, which would let the driver know that either stress levels are high or some- thing is wrong with the vehicle. Unexpected Findings: Study Reveals “It’s well known that high levels of Driver’s Sixth Sense, Texting Dangers stress can contribute to driver error by lowering reaction time, so alerting a The Toyota Economic Loss Settlement Research Project has uncovered some unexpected findings stressed driver to that condition has the — evidence of why texting can be so dangerous. potential for improving safety.” Moderate levels of other driver distractions, like being upset or absent minded, trigger a sixth sense in the Mike Manser, brain and can eventually help drivers stay safe. TTI Human