A Human Factors Engineer focused on transportation safety utilizes human factors principles to evaluate the interaction between the human element and transportation system elements to identify systemic risk and to design safety solutions. Human Factors Engineers must be able to recognize the capabilities and limitations of road users in terms of behavior choices and reactions to system elements, as well as how demographics influence safety outcomes. Based on knowledge of human factors principles, they investigate, design, and implement transportation system safety solutions; and utilize multiple strategies to integrate road safety and human factors data and analysis into transportation planning and design.
Other responsibilities typically include:
- Utilize psychological and other scientific research methods based on principles related to human behavior and performance to assess safety impacts of behavioral decision-making as well as appropriate mitigation measures.
- Analyze and integrate human performance or human factors related data and knowledge into transportation system design activities.
- Diagnose design deficiencies based on real-world driver behavior.
- Apply knowledge of environmental, cultural and other factors that influence behavior to the design and implementation of behavior change and safety culture enhancement strategies.
- Apply modeling and simulation skills as well as appropriate qualitative, quantitative, user-centered design, and predictive analytics methodologies to identify safety issues and to design solutions, including safety-enhancement devices and technologies.