Marisa Auguste, April 8, 2016. (Peter Morenus/UConn Today)

Ms. Auguste is the Driver Behavior Analyst for the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center (CTSRC). Conducting research in traffic psychology, her primary focus is on human behavior in the driving environment. A large part of her work involves analyzing crash data at the State and local level to identify variables or patterns of behavior that are positively correlated with increased motor vehicle crash risk. Her research projects  have focused on distracted driving and distracted walking behaviors, DUI offenders and pedestrian safety education. Utilizing a background in sociology, psychology and criminal justice, Ms. Auguste relies on theory and behavior modification practices based in these disciplines.

In addition to her research interests, Ms. Auguste continues to be an active member of the human behavior and transportation research communities. Currently, Ms. Auguste serves as a panel member for the Transportation Research Board’s Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program and as a manuscript reviewer for the social science journal, Social Moments. She is also an active member of Connecticut’s statewide impaired driving, occupant protection, and pedestrian safety task forces. Her work and expertise has been featured in numerous media outlets, including NPR, WTNH News 8,  the Hartford Business Journal, and most notably, a two-time Emmy nominated documentary on distracted driving behaviors “3 Seconds Behind the Wheel“.

Current research projects: marijuana-impaired driving, travel behavior of adolescents, pedestrian-vehicle collisions involving distraction, and linkage of motor vehicle crash and citation data.

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