The Translational Research for Injury Prevention Laboratory celebrated the opening of the Driving Simulator facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday. It was held at the Northeast Medical Building.
Despina Stavrinos, a professor of psychology and the director of the Institute for Social Science Research, founded and directed the TRIP Laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and brought the program to The University of Alabama in July 2023.
“Our mission has remained the same since we first started it, and that was to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to motor vehicle crashes in the southeastern United States,” Stavrinos said.
The simulator contains a Mercedes 350 GLE SUV donated by the Mercedes-Benz Group that, combined with wrap-around screens and hydraulics, creates a fully immersive experience for participants.
This new technology is used in three main studies with research focused on distracted driving, adolescent driving and concussion recovery. Participants are observed as they partake in various distracted driving methods and the data from eye movements, braking responses and steering is used to assess risk associated with distracted driving.
Another study focuses on the challenges of age and inexperience in driving. TRIP uses reaction time and eye-tracking data in order to compare adolescent and inexperienced drivers, with an aim of discovering which factor, between age and experience level, contributes most to risk.
Participants who have recently suffered a concussion also use the simulator to allow for researchers to get a better understanding of the timeline in which it becomes safe for a confused person to return to driving.
“It was super cool, the technology behind it is so interesting,” said Victoria Thomson, a senior majoring in food nutrition who participated in the simulator. “I’m interested to see what they’re going to use this technology for.”
The TRIP Laboratory offers community engagement opportunities for UA students through participation in an outreach program. The program uses technology and research to educate on safe driving practices at high schools across Alabama. The program is also looking for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the design and implementation of studies as well as assist in conducting studies.
Price Ledbetter, a senior majoring in psychology and criminal justice, is an undergraduate research assistant at TRIP and said that the lab is always looking for research assistants to help run the simulator and help the lab obtain participants.
“Car crashes continue to be one of the leading killers of young people, so I’ve dedicated my entire career to figuring out and understanding when and how these crashes occur, and then how to prevent these terrible things from happening,” Stavrinos said.
