Dr. Ron Van Houten
Vice President &
Research Director
rvh@cers-safety.com

Education
BA, MA, PhD, Behavioral Psychology.

Work Experience
Vice President, Center for Education and Research in Safety (1989- ), manager of new product development and human factors research. Professor of Psychology, Mount Saint Vincent University. Chair of papers subcommittee for the United States Transportation Research Board pedestrian committee (1997-). Member of the U.S. National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Worked for many years in the safety area and has published extensively in peer review journals and books. Has served as a consultant to numerous governments at the federal, state and municipal levels and conducted extensive human factors and field research in the areas of pedestrian safety, seat belt use, speeding, impaired driving, and occupational safety. Dr. Van Houten has specialized in the development of educational safety programs and prompting systems to increase safety related behaviors. He has also developed an experimental pedestrian signals (with Dr. Malenfant) with funding from the United States National Academy of Science ITS IDEA program to successfully prompt pedestrians to look for turning vehicles and to prompt motorists to look for pedestrians, other vehicles, and trains. Dr. Van Houten has also developed digital voice prompts to change safety related behaviors. He was presented with the Solicitor General of Canada Crime Prevention Award in 1984 for his work in the areas of pedestrian safety and highway safety

Publications: available on request

Click here for abbreviated curriculum vitae (pdf).