CTS Webinar: Pedestrian Safety and Driver Behavior Near an Automated Vehicle
Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 1:00–2:30 pm
Virtual
About the Event
As automated vehicle technology becomes more prevalent, understanding how human drivers and pedestrians interact with it is essential for ensuring roadway safety. This webinar shared how U of M researchers explored this interaction on the Med City Mover pilot project led by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). The study examined real-world driver behavior around low-speed automated shuttles in downtown Rochester, Minnesota, with a focus on pedestrian safety and yielding behaviors.
The event also included updates on MnDOT’s broader connected and automated vehicle (CAV) initiatives, including the state’s ongoing efforts to integrate automation into Minnesota’s transportation network.
The webinar was held in conjunction with a CTS Transportation Safety and Mobility Council meeting.
Speakers
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Nichole Morris is the director of the Human Factors Safety Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, a research associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a CTS scholar. Her main research interests are in human factors of transportation safety, especially related to in-vehicle technologies, pedestrian and nonmotorist safety, safety-related data collection, gender biases in trauma care, and work-zone safety. Her most recent research has examined interactions between drivers and automated vehicles, pedestrian safety programs, work-zone intrusion mitigation and documentation, rural intersection designs, police pursuits, vehicle collision detection and warnings with nonmotorist road users, and in-vehicle displays for snowplow lane guidance.
Tara Olds is the director of MnDOT’s Connected and Automated Vehicles Office, where she leads Minnesota’s CAV engineering, policy, planning, and research and deployment programs. She works to create programming to advance the safe deployment of CAV technologies to promote equitable and sustainable transportation while partnering on regional and national research and policy development. Olds' background spans engineering, construction, project management, community engagement, and traffic safety. She is passionate about creating meaningful and inclusive public engagement to ensure our transportation programs and projects meet the diverse needs of our communities.