Peter Savolainen
Chairperson - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)
Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), College of Engineering
MSU Foundation Professor - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in the College of Engineering
Engineering Bldg, 428 S Shaw Ln Rm 3546
Biography
Dr. Peter Savolainen is an MSU Research Foundation Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Savolainen's research examines the fundamental nature of road user behavior, particularly how traffic safety and operations are influenced by behavior in consideration of roadway and traffic characteristics. His work in this area has provided important information as ... to how road user behavior changes in response to such roadway features as maximum speed limits, centerline/shoulder rumble strips, and red-light-running cameras at signalized intersections. His research has also advanced fundamental knowledge as to how roadway design, environmental factors, and in-vehicle distractions affect the risk of traffic crashes. This research has led to the publication of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and research, highlighted by a series of contributions in the areas of naturalistic driving research, countermeasure evaluation, and crash-injury severity analysis. Dr. Savolainen currently serves as an Associate Editor of the ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems, as well as on the editorial advisory boards of Accident Analysis and Prevention and Analytic Methods in Accident Research. He is the Chair of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Education Council and is also a member of the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Safety Performance Analysis. Dr. Savolainen is a registered professional engineer in the state of Michigan.
Read MoreEducation
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Purdue University 2006
M.S., Civil Engineering, Purdue University 2004
B.S., Civil Engineering, Michigan Technological University 2002
Awards
Best Paper, Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Standing Committee on Transportation Safety Management Systems (ACS10), (2024)
High Value Research Project, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Research Advisory Council (RAC), (2024)
High Value Research Project, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Research Advisory Council (RAC), (2023)
Innovation in Education Award, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Transportation Education Council (2022)
... Read MorePublications
Shakir MS, TJ Gates, MU Megat-Johari, H Jashami, A Bamney, PT Savolainen, “Do Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs Impact Drivers Differently Based on Speeding Tendencies? Insights from Applications at Select Critical Roadway Contexts” Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 98, pp 157-169, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2023.09.002
Rostami A, E Kamjoo, A Bamney, N Gutpa, PT Savolainen, A Zockaie, “Investigating Changes in Travel Behavior over Time in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic”, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 96, pp 133-154, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2023.06.001
Gupta N, A Bamney, A Rostami, E Kamjoo, PT Savolainen, “How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Driver Speed Selection and Crash Risk on Rural Freeways?”, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 97, pp. 181-206, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2023.07.008
Wang S, EA Mack, JA Van Fossen, L Medwid*, SR Cotten, C-H Chang, J Mann, SR Miller, PT Savolainen, N Baker, “Assessing Alternative Occupations for Truck Drivers in an Emerging Era of Autonomous Vehicles”, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 19(100793), 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100793
... Read More