Synectics is in the forefront of applied safety research: papers by Synectics’ staff have been published in peer-reviewed journals in Canada and the United States. Examples of Synectics’ applied research assignments include the following:

• State-of-the-art review of in-vehicle collision and roadway departure avoidance systems;
• Synthesis of available collision modification factors (CMFs);
• Collision involvement of suspended drivers;
• Effects of winter weather conditions on road safety;
• Observational study of aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors;
• Effectiveness and application of electronic enforcement (red light cameras); and
• Predictive, safety performance-based warrants for the installation of traffic control signals.

Red Light Cameras – For an Ontario municipality, Synectics developed a process for diagnosing red light running amongst a group of signalized intersections, with the purpose of identifying the potential safety benefits of using red light cameras. The process involved a detailed office and field investigation to identify what factors may be contributing to red light running, and what alternative engineering treatments should be considered before introducing the cameras.

Predictive Traffic Control Signal Warrant – Traffic signals, if properly designed and justified according to current engineering practice, can improve the traffic safety and traffic operations at intersections. Current crash warrants do not take into consideration the effect of traffic volume variations in crashes. Synectics proposed and evaluated an approach which uses the Empirical Bayes method, and crash prediction models, to estimate the safety effects of proposed traffic signal installations at candidate, unsignalized intersections.