Distracted Driving

Dr. Zac Doerzaph is executive director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and president of its affiliated nonprofit, VTT, LLC. He leads the institute’s $50 million annual research portfolio, driving strategic vision, partnerships, and talent development to advance global transportation safety and innovation. Since 2009, he has served as principal investigator or co-PI on more than $61 million in research projects focused on safe and effective mobility. Dr. Doerzaph also teaches in Virginia Tech’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, preparing students for careers in the evolving transportation field.

Dr. Sheila “Charlie” Klauer is a research scientist at VTTI and associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Industrial and Systems Engineering Department. She has led numerous naturalistic driving studies, including those focused on teens, drivers with autism, and drivers with ADHD. Her research explores distraction and fatigue in driving, with an emphasis on novice drivers. Dr. Klauer’s work has been widely published, including in The New England Journal of Medicine, where one of her papers ranks in the top 2% of most-read articles.

Joel Feldman is a nationally recognized distracted driving speaker who founded EndDD.org after his daughter Casey was killed by a distracted driver in 2009. Since then, he has delivered over 1,000 presentations to students, professionals, and safety advocates, reaching more than 525,000 teens through a network of trained volunteers. Backed by research from CHOP and the U.S. Department of Transportation, his interactive, evidence-based program has been shown to change teen driving behaviors and reduce distracted driving. A practicing attorney for over 40 years, Feldman also holds a Master’s in counseling and continues to lead national efforts through the National Distracted Driving Coalition.