Peter Savolainen

MSU Foundation Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Michigan State University

Peter Savolainen, PhD, PE, is an MSU Foundation Professor in 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 roadway features such as posted speed limits, horizontal curves, 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. Dr. Savolainen currently serves on the editorial advisory boards of Accident Analysis and Prevention and Analytic Methods in Accident Research, as well as on the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Statistical Methods. He was awarded the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2020 Transportation Safety Council Edmund R. Ricker Individual Award for international leadership in traffic safety and engineering. Dr. Savolainen is a registered professional engineer in the state of Michigan and an ITE Fellow.

Research Areas: Connected and autonomous vehicles, Statistical and econometric methods, Transportation safety, Naturalistic driving, Traffic operations, Road user behavior

Website | LinkedIn | Google Scholar | pete@msu.edu

ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5767-9104 | Twitter: @PeterSavolainen