Location
office mailing address
Phone
Primary Website
Additional Appointments
Associate Director for Faculty Affairs, UMTRI
Group Head, UMTRI Behavioral Sciences Group
Adjunct Research Professor, Psychology
Education/Training
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 1992, Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine.
- Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, 1991, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- M.A., Experimental Psychology, 1988, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1984, Major: Psychology.
Research Interests/Areas of Expertise/Responsibilities
Dr. David W. Eby is a research professor and head of the Behavioral Sciences Group at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). And in January 2022 he was appointed associate director for faculty affairs at UMTRI. Dr. Eby is also an adjunct research professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Eby holds a doctorate degree in experimental psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has also held a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. The primary focus of his research is to enhance the safe mobility of people by conducting and reporting behavioral studies. Dr. Eby’s work at UMTRI has encompassed a number of topics in traffic safety and mobility including: use and misuse of occupant protection devices; risky driving behaviors among young and novice drivers; alcohol impaired driving policy analysis; occupant protection policy analysis; medical conditions and driving; aging and safe mobility; distracted driving; use of technology to improve safe mobility; older driver self-screening; rural transportation; employee traffic safety; drowsy driving; and driving self-regulation. Dr. Eby has managed more than 70 projects as a principal investigator and he has authored more than 320 scholarly publications. He is the lead author of two books on older adult mobility: Maintaining Safe Mobility in an Aging Society and Perspectives and Strategies for Promoting Safe Transportation Among Older Adults. Some of his key publications, such as the Driving Decisions Workbook, have been translated into Japanese, Spanish, Korean, German, and French, as well as modified for British and Australian audiences.
Dr. Eby is a former long-standing member of two committees of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies: Occupant Protection and Safe Mobility for Older Adults. From 2005-2015, Dr. Eby has served as an associate editor of the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention. He is a former convener of the Transportation and Aging Interest Group of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and was awarded a fellow of the GSA in 2008. Dr. Eby was the founding directors of two University Transportation Centers (UTCs) sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation: the Michigan Center for Advancing Safe Transportation throughout the Lifespan (M-CASTL); and the Center for Advancing Transportation Leadership and Safety (ATLAS Center), formally a collaboration between UMTRI and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The ATLAS Center is now sponsored by the U-M College of Engineering and UMTRI. Dr. Eby’s research has received awards from the Michigan Governors’ Traffic Safety Advisory Commission, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Standing Committee on Research.
Service
2018-2019 Staff Development Committee, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2018-pres Chair, Appointments and Promotions Committee, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2017-pres Budget Committee, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2017-pres Safe Drivers Smart Options Operating Committee, Michigan Department of State.
2016-2018 UMTRI Advisory Committee (elected), University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2016 UMTRI Research Process Coordinator Hiring Committee. University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2015-2017 Faculty Development Committee, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2015-2018 Bylaws Committee (Chair 2017-2018), University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2015-pres Executive Committee, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2014-2018 LongROAD Project Steering Committee, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
2014-2015 University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) Internal Review Committee. University of Michigan Office of Research (UMOR).
2010-2017 Safe Mobility for Older Adults Committee (ANB60) of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, DC.
2008-2017 Occupant Protection Committee (ANB45) of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, DC.
2012-2015 Administration Subcommittee, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2011 Scientific Review Committee, 6th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design
2010-2012 Advisory Committee (elected), University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
2008-2010 Advisory Committee, Community Participation in Developing a Measure for Safe Older Driver Behaviors. National Institute on Aging. Dr. Sherrilene Classen, Principal Investigator.
2008 Scientific Program Committee, Impact of Changing Demographics on the Transportation System Conference. Transportation Research Board and Research and Innovative Technology Administration.
2007-2008 Scientific Program Committee, International Conference on Traffic & Transport Psychology.
2007-2009 Scientific Program Committee, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.
2005-2007 Committee on Aging, Michigan State Medical Society. East Lansing, Michigan.
Awards
- 2018 Outstanding Traffic Safety Achievement Award for “Safe Drivers Smart Options: Keys to Lifelong Mobility.” Michigan Governors’ Traffic Safety Advisory Commission (GTSAC).
- 2017 Public Affairs and Consumer Education (PACE) Division 7 Overall Award for Websites/Technology Internally Produced: “Safe Drivers Smart Options: Keys to Lifelong Mobility.” American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).
- 2017 Public Affairs and Consumer Education (PACE) Regional Award for Websites/Technology Internally Produced: “Safe Drivers Smart Options: Keys to Lifelong Mobility.” American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).
- 2017 Public Affairs and Consumer Education (PACE) Regional Award for Excellence in Government Partnership “Safe Drivers Smart Options: Keys to Lifelong Mobility.” American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).
- 2012 Sweet Sixteen High Value Research Award for project: “Recommendations for Meeting the Transportation Needs of Michigan’s Aging Population.” AASHTO Standing Committee on Research.
- 2012 Outstanding Traffic Safety Achievement Award for M-CASTL. Michigan Governors’ Traffic Safety Advisory Commission.
- 2010 Special Recognition Award for Leadership, Commitment, and Contribution to the Field of Older Driver Safety and Mobility. Transportation and Aging Interest Group, Gerontological Society of America.
- 2008 UMTRI Best Paper Award
- 2008 Fellow, Gerontological Society of America
- 2004 UMTRI Research Excellence Award.
Key Projects
- Understanding Driver Limitations in ADS-Equipped CMVs. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- AAA LongROAD Study: Phase II. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Identifying Policy Approaches to Extending the Safe Mobility of Older Adults. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
- Pilot Parental Involvement in GDL/Driver Education Program. Michigan Department of State.
- Approaches to Reducing Motor Vehicle Crashes and Improving Driver Safety in Non-Electric Utility Fleets. Electronic Power Research Institute (EPRI).
- Guidelines for Development of Evidence-Based Countermeasures for Risky Driving. Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center.
- CSS-RCN: One Bridge at a Time: Bridging the Digital Divide for the Well-Being of Aging Communities in Smart and Connected Communities. National Science Foundation.
- Review of Risk Communication Strategies and Existing Impaired and Distracted Driving Safety Messages. US Department of Transportation/Volpe Center.
- Review of Risk Communication Strategies and Existing Occupant Protection Safety Messages. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Developing a Personalized Guardian System to Assist Aging Drivers through Machine Learning, Sensor Fusion, and Data Mining. Toyota Research Institute.
- Enhancing Safe Mobility among Older Drivers with and without Dementia. Alzheimer’s Association.
- Age-Related Differences in Driver Behavior Associated with Automated Vehicles and the Transfer of Control between Automated and Manual Control: A simulator evaluation. Michigan Mobility Transformation Center.
- Senior Driver Cohort Study (LongROAD) . AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
- University Transportation Centers Tier 1 Program. Center for Advancing Transportation Leadership and Safety (ATLAS Center). United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology.
- Older Driver Education and Safe Mobility Planning Strategy (Driver ESMP Strategy). Michigan Department of Transportation.
- Strategies to Reduce CMV-Involved Crashes, Fatalities, and Injuries in Michigan: 2013 Update. Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning/Michigan Truck Commission.
- Evaluation of the Michigan Center for Truck Safety: Effectiveness of Training Programs. Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning/Michigan Truck Commission.
- Feasibility, Benefits, and Acceptability of Lowering the BAC Standard in the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- How to Create, Implement, Sustain, and Evaluate Travel Training for Older Adults: A Handbook. Transportation Research Board. Westat (Prime).
- Transportation Patterns of Older Drivers in Rural Michigan. Michigan Department of Transportation.
- Drowsy Driving Among Older Adults. Michigan Center for Advancing Safe Mobility throughout the
- Evaluating Tween/Parent Seat Belt Demonstration Program. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Documenting How States Have Recently Upgraded to Primary Enforcement. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Low-Cost, High Impact Measures to Meet the Transportation Needs of Michigan’s Aging Population. Michigan Department of Transportation.
- Fitness to Drive in Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Additional Information
ORCID: 0000-0001-8650-0628