National Advanced Driving Simulator

Our Mission

To make our roads safer by researching the connection between humans and vehicles, using both simulators and on-road vehicles.

About Us

Participate

Participate in one of our studies, or join our registry to get notified about new studies.

Rose Schmitt and John Gaspar in NADS-1 control room

Our Research

We partner with researchers around the world to study the connection between humans and vehicles.

The 24-foot simulator is on a six-legged base that rotates up to 330° and moves across the 64-foot square bay floor to simulate driving motions such as accelerating, lane changing, and skidding. There are 23 brakes on the large crossbeam that spans the room, while 42 hydrostatic bearings ride on a thin film of oil across smooth metal belts.

Our Tech

Simulators and Vehicles miniSim

News

Automated shuttle bus on rural Iowa road

Ride with us! Participation sign-up now open

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Want to ride in a partially automated vehicle with us? We’re now looking for people who are age 65 or older, have a disability that affects their mobility (age 25 or older), or have low vision impairment (age 25 or older). We’ll be stopping in Iowa City, Hills, Riverside, and Kalona.

Driving Assessment student award winners announced

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Another successful Driving Assessment conference is in the books! Student award winners included Linda Pipkorn of Chalmers, Erika Ziraldo of University of Guelph, and Katelyn Schwieters of University of Minnesota.

Staff member Cherie Roe speaks with members of the public at the Johnson County Fair

Summer outreach events

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

We've had a great time so far this summer attending local outreach events to talk to people about our ADS for Rural America project. We've been to three of the four communities along our project route: Riverside, Hills, and Iowa City.

Study: Marijuana’s impact on driving is strain-specific

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Forbes

In a study published in Traffic Injury Prevention, our researchers found that effects on driving performance after cannabis use can depend on the type of high that the user experiences. Cannabis use that produces more stimulation results in less impact on driving, while use that produces a more stoned or high feeling results in worse driving performance.

Map of the United States with Iowa ranked 30th for teen driving safety

2021’s Best and Worst States for Teen Drivers

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Wallethub

Check out our Director Dan McGehee’s expert take on teen driving safety and a ranking of the best states for teen drivers. Do you agree with Iowa’s ranking?