Anusha Musunuru, PhD, Awarded TRB ANB20 2017 Young Researcher Paper Award

(Pictured above, left to right: Kim Eccles, ANB20 Committee Chair; Richard J. Porter, VHB; Anusha Musunuru, Kittelson; Bhagwant Persaud, ANB20 Paper Award Committee Chair. Not pictured: Dr. Ran Wei, University of California, Riverside.)

Kittelson’s Anusha Musunuru, PhD, was awarded the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee ANB20 2017 Young Researcher Paper Award for “Predicting Day and Night Traffic Volumes on Rural Roads for Statistical Road Safety Modeling.” Musunuru and co-authors Ran Wei and Richard J. Porter received the award at the 2018 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

The paper, published in the January 2017 issue of Transportation Research Record, addresses the issue of statistical road safety models that use only annual average daily traffic (AADT) variables for expected crash frequency. These models do not explicitly capture differences in traffic volume patterns throughout the 24-hour day – a factor that can have significant effects on safety performance. Musunuru, Wei and Porter’s study adds to the existing literature by developing more disaggregated estimates of traffic volumes for day and night conditions in rural areas, and modeling road safety using those estimates. Access the full paper.

Committee ANB20 focuses on safety data, analysis and evaluation. The committee promotes the use of crash records and related data, the development of theories, techniques and methodologies for improving highway safety, and the application of these to enhance transportation safety. Along with its Young Researcher Paper Award, NB20’s awards program recognizes outstanding achievement for Best Paper and Doctoral Lecture Session Best Presenter.

Congratulations, Anusha!