Modern vehicles are packed with technology designed to make driving easier and safer, from lane-assist and adaptive cruise control to automated braking and semi-autonomous driving features. But as cars take on more of the driving task, new questions arise about how well drivers understand, trust, and interact with these systems.
This webinar brings together three experts in human factors and forensic engineering to explore the real-world implications of vehicle technology and automation on driver behaviour. Our experts will examine how different technology and levels of automation affect driver attention and reaction time, what happens when systems hand control back to the driver unexpectedly, and when technologies like pedestrian detection and auto-braking improve our performance.
Drawing on case studies, research, and hands-on vehicle testing, we will unpack where these systems succeed, where they fall short, and what that means for driver safety and liability.
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| October 29th, 2026 | 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern | On Zoom |
REGISTER HERE
This one-hour accredited* Continuing Education webinar is designed for legal and insurance professionals. We hope you will join us.
*Continuing Education Credits: Accredited for 1 substantive CLE hour by the Law Societies of Ontario and British Columbia and 1 hour of California MCLE credit for eligible attendees. Legal and insurance professionals in other jurisdictions that permit self-reporting may also be eligible to claim participation, subject to applicable requirements.
For more information and to get your name on our mailing list, contact Randy Paulson.
The experts – Human Factors
Pamela D'Addario, MASc PEng
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Pamela D’Addario is a senior engineer and leads MEA Forensic’s Human Factors group. With a background in mechanical engineering and human factors, Pam combines her understanding of car crash dynamics and driver behavior when answering questions about collision severity, vehicle speed, avoidance potential, nighttime visibility, and driver response times. Read Pamela's full bio. |
- Introduction to Human Factors
- One-pedal driving
- Unintended acceleration cases
Caleb Cohen, MASc
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Caleb Cohen is a Human Factors Scientist and investigates human behavior in the context of damage or injury-producing events. He has tested how drivers react at night, and during takeover requests in semiautonomous vehicles. He is active in MEA’s current research into how drivers adapt to one-pedal driving in electric vehicles. Read Caleb's full bio. |
- Current vehicle automation levels
- Warnings and takeover requests in semi-autonomous vehicles
- MEA's electric vehicle research
Kurt Ising, MASc PEng
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Kurt Ising is a senior engineer and investigates motor vehicle accidents and driver performance issues. He has developed a method for measuring light levels at accident locations to objectively assesses drivers' visual performance. He has published peer-reviewed research on nighttime visibility, perception-response time and the effects of driver distraction. Read Kurt's full bio. |
- Automatic pedestrian detection
- Auto-braking compared to human braking
- Determining closing speed