2026 ACEC-NH & NHDOT Technical Exchange Conference

Session 18: This is your brain on driving: The Psychology of Speed and What You Can Do About It
Speaker: Dr. Patricia Tice, Profound Insights
- This session takes a practical look at how human perception, attention, and expectancy translate into the speeds people actually use. Rather than treating speed as a policy variable, this session examines the specific environmental cues that shape driver behavior and explains why they work. Grounded in human factors research and real-world examples, the session focuses on mechanisms, not abstractions, giving practitioners a clear understanding of what matters for speed and how these insights can be applied directly in everyday roadway design and safety decisions.