MILLER TAKES THE WHEEL Established in 1978 at the request of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, UAlbany’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) conducts traffic safety research and offers a variety of services to local, state and national agencies and organizations seeking to reduce motor vehicle crashes, fatalities, and injuries. On July 1, Gerard “Jerry” Miller assumed leadership of the Institute, with the task of continuing to adapt ITSMR research to meet the evolving challenges facing the community at large, including the legalization of marijuana on traffic safety on driving in New York.
Why was the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research started and how has it helped improve traffic safety in New York? ITSMR was established in 1978 to provide a link between the State University of New York and New York Jerry Miller state government to provide a mechanism for integrating academic expertise and resources into efforts to prevent motor vehicle crashes and reduce fatalities and injuries on the state’s roadways. The Institute’s primary functions are conducting research on the causes and contributing factors to motor vehicle crashes and designing evaluation studies to assess the effectiveness of programmatic and legislative initiatives to reduce crashes and the severity of injuries suffered. In addition, the Institute provides a variety of services related to 20
Rockefeller College News Magazine I Fall 2021
Miller first joined ITSMR in 2016 as a project director and has been instrumental in expanding the Institute’s capabilities in the area of drugs and driving. Prior to ITSMR, he worked for New York for 15 years in various capacities, including serving as a program representative for the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee where he also held the position of state coordinator for New York’s Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) program. He began his professional career as a police officer in 1993 in Pittsfield, Mass., and has a master’s degree in public administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.
highway safety concerns of the member agencies of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), the State Legislature, local governments, county traffic safety boards and other highway safety organizations. These services include consultation in areas of highway safety policy, strategic planning, and traffic records systems; information services; technical assistance in research design and methodology, survey design, data analysis and program evaluation; training; and group facilitation and organizational support services. New York has led the nation in the implementation of major initiatives to improve highway safety, including passing of the nation’s first seat belt law and establishing the renowned STOPDWI program, a self-sustaining statewide program to curb drinking and driving. ITSMR has adapted to technological advancements over the years in two prominent areas: the Traffic Safety Statistical Repository and the Drug
