DETROIT (AP) — A Wayne State University researcher is helping lead a federally funded study that seeks to make intersections safer.

Civil engineering assistant professor Timothy Gates is the Detroit school's lead investigator on a National Cooperative Highway Research Program project. It examines the connection between roadway safety and available sight distance at intersections controlled by stop signs on the minor streets.

The university says that drivers need adequate sight distance at stop-controlled intersections to assess when it is safe to enter a major roadway. That distance may be limited by objects or road features, such as trees, crops, hills, curves, buildings and parked cars.

The Transportation Research Board is funding the two-year project, and Wayne State's portion is $75,000.

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Online:

Project details: http://bit.ly/WEq1zY

Timothy Gates background: http://engineering.wayne.edu/profile/timothy.gates