Loren Staplin, PhD

Loren Staplin is the founder and Managing Partner of TransAnalytics. Previously, he served as a Senior Research Scientist with the Center for Transportation Safety at the Texas Transportation Institute (2002-2003); Vice- President for Transportation Safety at the Scientex Corporation (1992-2000), and Senior Associate with Ketron, Incorporated (1982-1992). Before joining Ketron, Dr. Staplin worked for three years at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as an assistant professor and research scientist in the Department of Psychology.

Dr. Staplin brings a systems perspective to contemporary issues in transportation research, reflecting a multidisciplinary academic and professional background. Early training in the physical sciences complements the behavioral (human factors) focus, which has predominated throughout his professional career; the result is a keen appreciation of the extent to which driver-, vehicle-, and highway engineering-based solutions all must contribute essentially to a safe and mobile society. A balance between driver/pedestrian needs and the real-world concerns of engineering practitioners is evident in Dr. Staplin’s record of accomplishments: He has successfully led over forty research grants, contracts and subcontracts for Federal and State government clients as the Principal Investigator or Project Manager since the early 1980’s.

Significant products of Dr. Staplin’s work include the NHTSA Model Driver Screening and Evaluation Program: Guidelines for Motor Vehicle Administrators, and the FHWA Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians. These research products have influenced engineering practice by prompting changes to the FHWA’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the AASHTO Green Book. They also have resulted in software applications including a tool used by licensing authorities in multiple States to help screen individuals for medical fitness to drive. Overall, Dr. Staplin has published over fifty articles and technical reports addressing diverse aspects of traffic safety, including two chapters in the National Academy of Sciences/Transportation Research Board publication Transportation in an Aging Society: A Decade of Experience.

Dr. Staplin received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology in 1979, from Arizona State University. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), where he has served as Chair of the Committee on Safe Mobility of Older Persons (ANB60) and, previously, the Committee on Operator Education and Regulation (ANB30).

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