Researchers in the fields of injury and violence prevention from Romania, Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia recently visited the University of Iowa. As part of mulit-year NIH-funded project, partners on the iCREATE project discussed strategies to advance their work and build upon a strong history of collaboration. The group toured various centers, labs, and institutes and spoke with faculty, staff, and students across several colleges.

The Injury Prevention Research Center and TRIPS Lab partnered to publish a policy brief on distracted driving and hands-free driving laws in Iowa and across the United States. Current Iowa law allows the use of handheld phones for making calls and navigation (using GPS) but bans texting while driving. 30 states and D.C. have hands-free laws.

Iowa’s laws on child passenger restraint in motor vehicles does not meet current best practices developed by safety experts with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The Injury Prevention Research Center and TRIPS Lab recently published a policy brief describing child passenger restraint trends over the years in Iowa and the risks asscoiated with improper restraint.

Motor vehilce crashes continue to be the leading cause of death among adolescents in the U.S. In a JAMA Network Commentay, Dr. Cara Hamann and Dr. Jingzhen Yang discuss how electronic communications devices pose problems, but also potential solutions, in the arena of teen driving safety.

By: Libbie Randall of KCRG

By: Maylin Tu of Next City

In mid-June, TRIPS Lab members gathered with students and scholars from across the globe in Cluj-Napoca, Romania for a 6-day course on the design, implementation, and evaluation of intervention programs specific to violence and injury prevention and control. The SCOPE Program consisted of 20 students, 11 instructors, and other participants representing 8 countries.

By: University of Iowa Office of Strategic Communications

TRIPS Lab researchers found no impact on emergency response rates before and after road diet projects. Most EMS responders think road diets don't affect emergency response times, but that road users may not know how to properly yield to emergency vehicles on 3-lane roads.