In 1965 the automobile manufacturers, who were strongly lobbying for a federal program, approached the University of Michigan with a $10 million gift to establish a highway safety research program. In 1966 the federal government created a new program to improve automotive and highway safety. The university accepted the funding and with it created an ad hoc faculty program advisory committee to develop the interdisciplinary program of research. The new Highway Safety Research Institute (HSRI) was to have three main goals:
- "To assume a recognized, causative role in the reduction of morbidity and mortality rates (in traffic accidents).
- To earn a reputation as a center of engineering and scientific knowledge on highway safety.
- To make a meaningful contribution to the educational role of the university." (UMTRI Prologue, Present, and Prospects, p.2)
Four million dollars of the original gift was used to construct the building and equip the laboratories that make up the current site of the University of Michigan Transportation Institute (UMTRI). The remaining six million dollars was spent to develop a research program funded through the year 1972. The original gift was supplemented through grants and contracts from state and federal agencies, automotive companies and their suppliers, as well as industry associations. The name was changed from the Highway Safety Research Institute to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in 1982 to more accurately reflect the broad scope of its research activities.
The automotive industry still provides a significant source of funding. UMTRI continues to produce high quality, state-of-the-art research to meet its sponsor's needs while maintaining the integrity and independence essential to both the automobile industry and society as a whole. UMTRI, as part of the university, contributes to the research and teaching missions of the educational institution, while conducting research on specific state funded projects to increase knowledge and communicate information that will improve the safety and efficiency of transportation. ( UMTRI Self Assessment and Review, 1993-1998, p.2)
From the guide to the Transportation Research Institute (University of Michigan) publications, 1954-ongoing, 1975-1995, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
