The latest edition of the Thinking Transportation Podcast from Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has a special guest host – TTI’s agency director Greg Winfree. In this clip engineer Roger Bligh talks with him about the need for new standards for crash barriers to ensure safety in a world of EVs that are heavier than traditional ICE vehicles.

To hear the whole interview and more like it just log onto the Thinking Transportation homepage or find the episode wherever you get your podcasts.

The discussion was prompted by a June 2024 test, when TTI’s Roadside Safety and Physical Security Team crashed a Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle (EV) into a heavy-duty guardrail at 62 miles per hour and a 25-degree angle. When the EV blew right through the barrier, researchers were stunned…

Guest info: Dr. Roger Bligh is a Senior Research Engineer and manages TTI’s Roadside Safety Program. He’s the director of the Center for Transportation Computational Mechanics at TTI, holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Texas A&M University, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas. Dr. Bligh has nearly four decades of applied research experience with the design, analysis, testing, and evaluation of roadside safety structures. He was named a Regents Fellow by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and is a recipient of the Kenneth Stonex award for career achievement in roadside safety.

Host info: Greg Winfree became TTI’s agency director in 2016 after working at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). He began his USDOT service as chief counsel in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and was later sworn in as assistant secretary. He also served as deputy administrator and administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Prior to those appointments, Greg served as corporate counsel for a number of Fortune 500 corporations, and also worked as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice.