With extensive research experience in the field as a traffic safety professional, Tara decided to form her own consulting business as an independent consultant. Ms. Casanova Powell’s professional experience and network span several aspects of traffic safety, with expertise in novel data systems, impaired driving, distracted driving, teen driving, speed, occupant protection, older drivers, motorcycle safety, and traffic records. Within these modes, Ms. Casanova Powell has initiated policies and procedures to transcend barriers which often exist within the silos of the transportation profession. She recently initiated a movement to identify ways data systems developed from emerging technologies can be used in conjunction with traditional traffic records data systems to better inform countermeasures and solutions to save lives on our roads.

Tara is the current CEO of the Association of Transportation Safety Information Professionals (ATSIP), former Program Coordinator for the Lifesavers Conference on Roadway Safety, and the former Director of Research of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation USA. Tara was a Research Associate for Preusser Research Group (PRG) from 1998 to 2015 then served as a Senior Research Associate (2010-2015) where she led several national and state projects involving alcohol and drug impaired driving, occupant protection, teen driving involving graduated licensing, pedestrian and bike safety, older drivers and distracted driving. Tara’s career continued to include contracts for several other organizations including Acusensus, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the American Bar Association (ABA), and the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA). Tara also serves as a faculty staff member for Impaired Driving Solutions, formerly the National Center for DWI Courts (NCDC), under “All Rise”. With over 25 years of experience in the field of road safety, Ms. Casanova Powell’s career includes several niches within this community.

Ms. Casanova Powell has been engaged with the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine for several years where she is the current Chair of the Behavioral Safety Committee (ACD13) and served as the Chair for the Impairment in Transportation Committee (ACS50) and the Chair of the 2021 TRB Conference on Drug-Impaired Driving Planning Committee. On a global scale, Tara also founded and chairs the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) Impaired Driving Behavioral Intervention Working Group (IDBIIIG) and currently serves as an At Large Member of the ICADTS Board of Directors.

Ms. Casanova Powell’s early experience included several belt use research studies including the oversight of roadside observation evaluations for NHTSA Statewide occupant protection use surveys in CT including CPS observations, IN, MA, ME, MN, ND, PA, RI, and VA; teen belt use; and “belt and booze” evaluations. Upon the release of the NHTSA updated roadside observation standards, Ms. Casanova Powell conducted training for States to implement the new standards in their Statewide observations. Ms. Casanova Powell has also conducted extensive research on distracted driving including several studies with Acusensus, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Preusser Research Group in CT, NY, Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. and served on the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP) expert panel for the completed project “Examining the Implications of Legislation and Enforcement on Electronic Device Use While Driving” – BTS-03.

Tara’s work also includes a national evaluation of 28 state’s ignition interlock programs, a Washington State ignition interlock offender behavior project, a northern Virginia distracted driving program, Minnesota and Colorado interlock program evaluations, Governors Highway Safety (GHSA) Motorcyclist Fatalities by State: 2017 Preliminary Data report, and several state highway safety behavioral evaluations.

Tara has worked very closely with the US DOT and upper level management of federal and state government agencies including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. FDA, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and GHSA. Tara has worked extensively with state highway safety offices and governor representatives in addition to state and municipal law enforcement and has a thorough understanding of government agency procedure, program development, implementation and evaluation. Tara has published several peer-reviewed journal articles and is regularly asked to present her research at local and national professional conferences.

Ms. Casanova Powell is very passionate about her role in transportation safety. Throughout her career, she has worked to connect traffic safety professionals including research scientists; federal, state, and local practitioners; law enforcement; and traffic records data professionals to work together and to influence the pursuit of improving transportation data to better inform and efficient and effective countermeasures and solutions to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities on our roadways.