Road Traffic Division

Road traffic division

Road traffic division at Nord University Business School has the national responsibility for building competence and providing education for traffic related professions, such as driving instructors and driving examiners, in Norway. In addition to providing education, an important aim of the research group under the road traffic division is to conduct research in driving education, and road traffic and transportation topics. Building a bridge between education and research is an important mission of the section.

The research team includes researchers from different academic fields, such as pedagogy, psychology, engineering and law. The multidisciplinary and interactive nature of the research team contributes to the quality and variation of the conducted research. In addition, the road traffic division has some external research partners from different universities, governmental bodies and some public and private agencies.

Central research areas

Pedagogical and Didactical Studies

Pedagogy is central to the traffic field and is also one of the core competencies of professionals in the field, as well as being central to higher education in general. A well-functioning driver education system is a prerequisite for traffic safety; therefore, it is important to conduct research on factors related to the driver education process from both a theoretical and practical perspective. The main research topics in this area include assessment and evaluation of learning outcomes, andragogy, student- and peer learning, the driver-education curricula, the driving tests, the implementation of different pedagogical, psychological and technological methods and means, such as the GDE – framework, and innovative supervision and teaching methods.

Team

Ståle Lødemel	Faggruppeleder
Aksel Røstad	Universitetslektor
Bård Aune	Universitetslektor
Elin Kyllo	Høgsk-/øvingslærer
Elisabeth Suzen	Førsteamanuensis
Eva Signora Brustad Dalland	Førsteamanuensis
Hilde Kjelsrud	Stipendiat
Jan Petter Wigum	Universitetslektor
Kåre Robertsen	Universitetslektor
Kari-Anne Tyvold	Høgsk-/øvingslærer
Lisbeth Krøvel	Høgsk-/øvingslærer
Petter Helmersen Bogfjellmo	Universitetslektor
Randi Brynhildsvoll	Universitetslektor
Roger Hanssen	Universitetslektor
Rolf Robertsen	Førstelektor
Svein Loeng	Førstelektor
Svein Robertsen	Høgsk-/øvingslærer
Thor Owe Holmquist	Universitetslektor
Tor Owe Musum	Høgsk-/øvingslærer
Toril Fargerli Birkeland	Universitetslektor
Trond Hanssen	Universitetslektor
Audun Stiansen	Universitetslektor
Brit Solli Isachsen	Universitetslektor

Road User Bahavior & Human Factors

The human factor is one of the most important factors when it comes to road-traffic accidents; therefore, in order to prevent accidents and reduce the accident risk in road-traffic it is critical to focus on the road user perspective. An important goal of the research conducted in this area is to focus on risky behaviours and risk factors for different road user groups (e.g. drivers, pedestrians, two-wheeler drivers) and investigate different psycho-social, cultural and organizational factors that might lead to risky traffic behaviors. In addition to road safety behaviors, focusing on travel behaviors among the road users, the interaction between different road users and the human-vehicle interaction are also among the prior research topics under this area.

Team

Elisabeth Suzen	Førsteamanuensis
Eva Signora Brustad Dalland	Førsteamanuensis
Giuseppe Marinelli	Førsteamanuensis
Gunhild Birgitte Sætren	Førsteamanuensis
Jan Petter Wigum	Universitetslektor
Kåre Robertsen	Universitetslektor
Ozlem Simsekoglu Nordfjaern	Førsteamanuensis
Petter Helmersen Bogfjellmo	Universitetslektor
Rolf Robertsen	Førstelektor
Thor Owe Holmquist	Universitetslektor
Katrine Grinerud	Stipendiat

Mobility, Infrastructure & Vehicle Technology

Innovative technologies will bring an unprecedented disruption in the transport sector in the next few years: faster internet access, 5G, self-driving technology, smart info-mobility, integrated transport solutions and artificial intelligence are to mention some of the upcoming innovations. Understanding the effects generated by them, also in light of historical perspective, is the core of this research area, which aims to develop knowledge on innovative and sustainable transport solutions, road and vehicle technology and their effect on road users and mobility in future years.

Team

Bård Toldnes	Dosent
Giuseppe Marinelli	Førsteamanuensis
Kåre Robertsen	Universitetslektor
Rolf Robertsen	Førstelektor
Trond Hanssen	Universitetslektor

Road Traffic Laws & Regulations

Road traffic law has been a central issue since the Storting in 1972 decided to establish a traffic-related environment for traffic teacher education in Stjørdal. Our research focuses on the entirety of the legislation, and whether the legislation safeguards safety, responsibilities and privacy. The development of automized and autonomous vehicles creates new opportunities and challenges in society. One key task is to put in place a law that will always safeguard security, division of responsibility and privacy.

Team

Harald Osland Sandvik	Universitetslektor
Roger Helde	Førstelektor

Partnering, Leadership, Project Leadership and Strategic Management

Challenges in the public and private sectors often require interaction between many organizations to find good solutions, for example within transport, roads and construction, energy, oil, tourism, research and health. The challenges for the future can be local, national or international, in small or large businesses and include various topics such as innovation, business models, digitalization or safety management. Many of the sectors deliver strategic business results and create value in mutual projects. Interaction in projects often has the same characteristics and success factors, and strategic leadership, interdisciplinary expertise and project leadership are often required to succeed. Nord University at Stjørdal has international interdisciplinary research expertise relevant to these topics.

Team

Elisabeth Suzen	Førsteamanuensis
Rolf Robertsen	Førstelektor
Wenche Kristin Aarseth	Professor
Giuseppe Marinelli	Førsteamanuensis
Ozlem Simsekoglu Nordfjaern	Førsteamanuensis
Katrine Grinerud	Stipendiat

Selected research projects

Driving characteristics of light trailers

(02/2019-01/2020)

This project focuses on the driving characteristics of trailers up to 3500 kg that are intended for passenger cars and vans in driver license categories B and BE. The aim of the project is to investigate the various challenges that arise when cars, with a high degree of technological driver support systems, use trailers that are only equipped with mechanical devices for braking, suspension and course stability. In addition, the project also aims to investigate how drivers receive proper training for driving with a trailer, and whether the current legislation is enough for use of trailers in a safe way.

Project team: Kåre Robertsen, Giuseppe Marinelli, Harald O. Sandvik, Edvard Taarnes, Knut Skårdalsmo

Automated feedback and instruction system for category B driver training

(2019-2022)

Nord University Business School, Traffic Division, participates in the innovation project Automated feedback and instruction system for category B driver training, funded by the Research Council of Norway.

The project aims to develop a targeted and individually customized simulator-based driver training. A simulator-based driver training enable learner drivers to start their practical driver training before the age of 16 and will, among other things, provide learner drivers with driving experiences and possibilities to train risky and uncommon traffic situations as well as enabling an increased amount of driver training before they complete their driving test.

One of the key project elements, in which the Traffic Division contributes to, is to develop a "virtual instructor" (machine-assessment) that will assess the learner driver`s performance in the various driving exercises and provide feedback/comments in relation to the objectives stated in the Driver Education curriculum category B. This as a continuous follow-up assessment of the learner drivers throughout their entire training course.

Participants:

The Research Council of Norway, Nord University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (Sintef), Way Ltd, and The Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

Project team: Rolf Robertsen, Ståle Lødemel

VR in driving education - Feasibility Study Project

(09/2019 – 02/2020)

Nord University has been appointed by The Norwegian Public Road Administration (Statens Vegvesen) to develop a study that investigates the possibility of using VR technology inside driving education. A feasibility study will be performed, with the specific focus on practicing traffic situations using VR solutions. The objective is to assess and justify whether VR technology can be adapted and used also in driver training.

In addition to an extended and detailed literature review, the research group has designed a survey in order to investigate the opinions of driving instructors, learner drivers and public in Norway. The survey is available at the link https://nettskjema.no/a/127419 and is open for everyone who wish to participate.

Finally, some practical use scenarios are developed and suggested, in order to set the stage for a further experimentation directly on the field.

Project team: Giuseppe Marinelli, Kåre Robertsen, Özlem Simsekoglu, Robin Isfold Munkvold, Rolf Robertsen, Trond Olav Skevik

SkiTour Scandinavia - Value and collaborations in major sporting projects in the region

The project originates from collaborations between Stjørdal, Meråker, Sundsvall, Östersund and Trondheim municipalities. The main goal of the research project is to strengthen the entrepreneurial opportunities linked to the region's unique winter sports environment. Also included in the project are other similarly major sporting events in the region, olympic games and world championships. The main purpose is to create lasting value for business and especially tourism after the sporting projects events. A number of business organizations in the region is part of the research project. Professors and researchers from Nord university in Stjørdal Norway and Mitt University in Östersund Sweden have worked for many years with research projects in tourism, adventure industry and leadership and partnering in major projects. We are now developing the research further in the area of Green Transport and Tourism.

Contact: Professor Wenche Aarseth, Nord university.