Transportation

Human Factors Research

Autonomous vehicles, crash warning systems, voice controls, touchscreen displays. Info overload or driving benefit? Westat works to identify the right balance between technologies and safety to help reduce vehicle crashes and fatalities. We use our expertise in human-centered, research-based data to provide insight into these ever-emerging technological advances so that vehicles will be safe for all.

Transportation Safety

Tens of thousands of lives are lost each year due to motor vehicle crashes. How can these numbers be reduced? What factors, like speeding, distracted driving, texting while driving, and others, affect these numbers? What are the core issues for child safety, teen driving, older drivers, motorcyclists, and others? How do we make cars and other vehicles safer? Westat’s research in restraint use, speeding, and other driver behaviors is helping to find ways to reduce motor vehicle crashes.

Travel Behavior

The travel choices we make—to drive, take public transport, bike, or walk—affect traffic congestion and health. Now, more than ever, people are changing their travel behavior due to changes in work life, environment, family choices, and more. As these changes are made, they ultimately can affect how efficient our infrastructure is. Westat collects data that explain current and future travel patterns and needs. We can deploy large-scale field studies, observational studies, and household travel surveys to help gauge where we are and where we’re going as we consider future planning.