Research & Evaluation
Behavioral Research
Behaviors and Attitudes
NHTSA studies behaviors and attitudes in highway safety, focusing on drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and motorcyclists. We identify and measure behaviors involved in crashes or associated with injuries, and develop and refine countermeasures to deter unsafe behaviors and promote safe alternatives.
Our recently published reports and research notes are listed chronologically below. To the right are additional resources including Traffic Techs.
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A Nationwide Review of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Education in Driver EducationThis report summarizes a study examining how well driver education and training courses in the United States cover the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users. Based on the findings, the study identified gaps in the current material and then created and tested sample training modules to improve driver knowledge and skills to protect these vulnerable groups better. |
DOT HS 813 655 |
Bicyclist Stop-as-Yield Law AnalysisThis research report has valuable insights for city planners, legislators, public health organizations, bike advocacy groups, insurance companies, and researchers. It examines the effects of Stop-as-Yield laws on bicyclist safety and behavior, showing associations with reduced crash rates at specific intersections. These findings can inform policy development, infrastructure planning, public health initiatives, and further academic research on bicyclist safety and active transportation. |
DOT HS 813 641 |
Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets: 2024NHTSA published the first edition of the Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets in 2004. These updated fact sheets include scientific knowledge about the most frequently used drugs found in drug- and alcohol- impaired driving cases. An expert panel of forensic toxicologists, DREs, and traffic safety resource prosecutors provided input to the present version of the fact sheets. The information is targeted at drug recognition experts and other law enforcement officers, attorneys, judges, and toxicologists. The fact sheets will also benefit those in research, public health, advocacy, and driver education fields. |
DOT HS 813 650 |
Reducing Illegal Passing of Stopped School Buses: Demonstration ProjectThe project implemented a media campaign to reduce illegal passing of stopped school buses through use of automated cameras, plus an evaluation of the process and outcomes of the program approach to determine if the campaign was effective for reducing illegal passing behavior. The media campaign involved installing stop-arm cameras on school buses and paid media messaging to inform the communities of their legal duty when encountering stopped school buses, the presence of the cameras, and the tickets and fines for illegal passing. |
DOT HS 813 640 |
Driver Knowledge of School Bus Passing Laws: A National SurveyThis report documents and outlines the results of a national survey of drivers assessing their knowledge about school bus passing laws to determine if and where knowledge gaps may exist. All States have laws making it illegal to pass a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop-arm deployed, but what constitutes illegal behavior in one jurisdiction may not be prohibited in another. |
DOT HS 813 630 |
State Laws Digest on Illegal School Bus PassingThis report summarizes the Nation’s laws in States and Territories covering a driver’s duties when passing a stopped school bus loading or unloading students. The behavior typically involves stopping for the school bus if it displays flashing red lights and its stop-arm. Illegal passings of stopped school buses loading and unloading students are frequent and can lead to serious pedestrian-involved crashes resulting in injury or death. As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress directed NHTSA to review illegal passing laws in each State related to school buses. |
DOT HS 813 603 |
Novice Teen Driver Education Data Collection GuideThis Novice Teen Driver Education Data Collection Guide will help State driver education program administrators collect relevant and accurate data, the key to measuring program performance, providing insight to foster program improvement, create goals, and heighten support. |
DOT HS 813 612 |
A Framework for Assessing Pedestrian Exposure Using GPS and Accelerometer Walking Data - ReportThis report examined pedestrian exposure metrics used in past studies; the study team then used data collected from electronic devices from two previous longitudinal studies on walking in the Seattle, Washington, area. This study provides a framework quantifying pedestrian exposure that can be used by other transportation municipalities to capture pedestrian exposure. |
DOT HS 813 583 |
Material Flammability Test Procedure Development SupportThis report evaluates repeatability of material flammability assessment of different materials, including layered materials, using the Southwest Research Institute’s microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) test method and associated performance criteria. The research compares FMVSS No. 302 and MCC data for 24 motor vehicle interior materials. The report assesses how sample variability affects MCC test repeatability. Additionally, the mass loss calorimeter test method was used to measure the maximum average rate of heat emission of materials used in motor vehicles. |
DOT HS 813 548 |
Driver Education and Training Promising Practices: A Systemic Literature ReviewThe Novice Teen Driver Education and Training Administrative Standards (NTDETAS) reflect current and recommended practice in driver education and are based on a foundation of expert opinion, experience, and consensus backed by available scientific evidence. This report identifies information gaps and key research questions related to standards and address them with recent evidence to enhance the veracity of what is included in the NTDETAS. The primary research questions identified three categories: the value of blended learning, the use of deliberate practice, and the application of technological approaches to driver education. These were addressed by a systematic literature of driver education. One critical issue is the upcoming generational transition from Gen Z to Gen Alpha (born 2010 to 2025). |
DOT HS 813 566 |