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Transportation Champion of Change

Virginia Tech

Traffic accidents cause more injuries than anything else in our society.  And they’re the leading cause of death for people between the ages of three and 33.

Driver distraction is the most common cause of traffic accidents.  And because vehicles are moving at relatively high speeds, what happens in one, affects many others.

The director of Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute, Professor Tom Dingus, says one solution coming down the pike, is something called ‘vehicle connectivity.’

"What that means is talk to eat other via short range radio and they can communicate a variety of things, their position, whether they’re breaking or not, whether you’re about to hit another car and so it’s a low cost and very innovative solution that wills save a lot of lives in the future," he said.

Dingus is one of twelve people being honored at the White House this week as a 'Transportation Champion of Change.' VTTI comprises the largest group of safety researchers in the world.

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