A primary function of the Center will be to sustain a vigorous research program encompassing basic and applied projects related to improving safety and mobility for young people and older adults. The Center’s research program will be focused upon three broad, societal thrusts:

• Understanding and addressing the changing perceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor abilities of older drivers to help them maintain safe driving;
• Understanding and addressing the transportation needs of young people and older adults when they are unable or choose not to drive themselves;
• Understanding and addressing the elevated crash risk of young drivers.

Research Excellence Program: Competitive proposals will be requested by the Center that address pressing transportation problems within one or more of the three thrust areas. Specific research topics selected will take into account national transportation needs by addressing high priority areas identified by DOT. Proposals will be required to provide some matching funds for the project cost. Respondents will be required to build a “quad-team” for research projects that consists of faculty members from at least two different U-M units, students, and government/industrial/community representatives. The quad approach will ensure multidisciplinary research, student involvement in projects, and the translation of research results into practical transportation solutions.

Round 3 Research Projects (Newly Awarded):
M-CASTL has awarded four research projects for the third year of our research initiative. Click on the project titles below to read the abstracts.

Assessing Driving in Older Adults: Perspectives of Vision Care Providers
Principal Investigators: Nancy K. Janz (U-M School of Public Health) and David C. Musch (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center)
Co-Investigators: Brenda W. Gillespie (Center for Statistical Consultation and Research) and Ralph P. Crew (Crew Eye Center)

Development of a Protocol to Assess the Effects of Workload on Older Drivers: A First Step
Principal Investigator: Paul A. Green (UMTRI)
Co-Investigators: Mark Newman (U-M School of Information) and Toshiro Muramatsu (Nissan Technical Center North America)

Driving Cessation & Caregiving Continuum: Adult Child/Parent Dynamic
Principal Investigator: Cathleen M. Connell (U-M School of Public Health)
Co-Investigators: Lidia P. Kostyniuk (UMTRI) and Tina Abbate Marzolf (Michigan Area Agency on Aging1-B)

Using Vehicle Instrumentation to Better Understand the Transitioning Process: An Exploratory Study
Principal Investigator: David W. Eby (UMTRI)
Co-Investigators: Lisa J. Molnar (UMTRI), Edward D. Rothman and Danielle Gwinn (U-M Center for Statistical Consultation and Research), Shawn Marshall (Candrive/University of Ottawa, CA), Michelle Porter (Candrive/University of Manitoba, CA)

Round 2 Research Projects:
M-CASTL has awarded two research projects for the second year of our research initiative. Click on the project titles below to read the abstracts.

Cognitive Training as an Intervention to Improve Driving Ability in the Older Adult
Principal Investigator: Rachael Seidler (U-M Kinesiology)
Co-Investigators: John Jonides (U-M Psychology), Martin Buschkuehl (U-M Psychology), Susanne Jaeggi (U-M Psychology), Jessica Bernard (U-M Psychology), Pamela Hall (Michigan Office of Services to the Aging), and Peggy Brey (Michigan Office of Services to the Aging)

Young unlicensed drivers: Four Studies to Understand the Association of Lifestyle and Area Associated Risk
Principal Investigator: C. Raymond Bingham (UMTRI)
Co-Investigators: Ana V. Diez-Roux (U-M School of Public Health) and Christian L. Hanna (Michigan Public Health Institute)

Round 1 Research Projects:
M-CASTL has awarded three research projects for the first year of our research initiative. Click on the project titles below to read the abstracts.

Youth, Age, and Transportation Accessibility: An Intermetropolitan Comparison
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Levine (U-M Urban and Regional Planning Program)
Co-Investigators: Joe Grengs (U-M Urban and Regional Planning Program), Lidia Kostyniuk (UMTRI), and Laurie Wargelin (Abt-SRBI, Inc)

Driving Reduction and Cessation: Transitioning to Not Driving
Principal Investigator: Lidia Kostyniuk (UMTRI)
Co-Investigators: Cathleen Connell (U-M School of Public Health) and Patricia Carrow (Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning)

A New Approach to Assessing Self-Regulation by Older Drivers: Development and Testing of a Questionnaire Instrument
Principal Investigator: David Eby (UMTRI)
Co-Investigators: Lisa Molnar (UMTRI), J. Scott Roberts (U-M School of Public Health), and Gary Bubar (AAA Michigan)
Consultants: Jim Langford (Monash University Accident Research Centre) and Shawn Marshall (University of Ottawa)

Click here for research project reporting and technology transfer requirements.

Click here to view the most recent Request for Proposals (RFP).