Independent engineering opinions on traffic signals, intersection safety, and crash causation.
Rule 26 reports, deposition and trial testimony, and litigation consulting grounded in twenty-five years of peer-reviewed research and field-validated methods. Retained by plaintiff and defense counsel, and by government and regulatory bodies.
Where the analysis starts
Each matter turns on what the roadway, the signal, and the driver were doing at a specific moment. These are the technical questions ITC is retained to answer.
Traffic signal timing and controller logic
Reconstruction of timing plans and signal sequencing from controller event logs; interpretation of NEMA and Type 170 controller behavior; coordination, preemption, and transition events.
ATSPM high-resolution data · NEMA / 170 · SPaT / MAPIntersection and roadway safety, crash causation
Contributing-factor analysis for crashes at signalized intersections, arterials, interchanges, and transportation facilities, applying the Highway Safety Manual and MUTCD.
HSM · MUTCD · AASHTODilemma-zone protection and clearance intervals
Yellow-change and all-red interval adequacy, advance detection, and dilemma-zone systems. Dr. Abbas developed, or was part of the teams that evaluated, D-CS, PIA, and AWEGS for TxDOT and FHWA.
D-CS · PIA · AWEGS · advance warning flashersDriver behavior and human factors
Driver decision-making at the onset of yellow, perception-reaction, and learning effects, drawing on driving-simulator studies, in-vehicle video, and cognitive modeling.
Driving simulator · naturalistic video · agent-based modelsRoadway design and access management
Design-defect and standard-of-care review for arterials, interchanges, terminals, and access points, including sight distance, signing, and geometric conformance.
AASHTO Green Book · MUTCD · agency design standardsWork-zone operations and safety
Temporary traffic control, lane-closure scheduling, and work-zone safety, including the interaction between maintenance decisions and traffic operations.
MUTCD Part 6 · simulation-optimizationMicrosimulation and digital-twin reconstruction
Calibrated microsimulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing to reproduce operating conditions, test alternative timings, and quantify what a design or control change would have done.
VISSIM · SUMO · Aimsun · AnyLogic · CORSIM · Synchro · HIL / CILTraffic-technology patents and algorithms
Technical analysis of accused traffic-control technologies and prior art, with deposition and trial testimony in federal patent litigation.
Radar, video, and loop detection · adaptive control · V2XTravel-demand and toll-revenue forecasts
Independent review of travel-demand models and econometric or time-series traffic forecasts submitted in rate proceedings and public-sector decisions.
Demand modeling · time-series forecastingTransportation program and contract review
Program-management and engineering-services contract review: industry custom for compensation, duplicative services, and quality-assurance practice in design and construction.
QA / QC practice · industry customA record counsel can disclose
Sworn testimony in the last four years includes deposition and trial testimony in federal patent litigation and written and oral testimony before a state regulatory commission. The complete listing in the form contemplated by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(2)(B), with captions and case identifiers, is provided to retaining counsel subject to the confidentiality terms of each engagement.
| Matter | Court or tribunal | Retaining party | Side | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toll rate-increase proceeding | Virginia State Corporation Commission | SCC Staff | Staff expert | Written and oral testimony | 2023–24 |
Deposition and trial testimony in federal patent litigation is listed in the Rule 26 disclosure provided to counsel. Dr. Abbas has also been retained and disclosed as a testifying expert in state-court litigation and has served as a consulting expert whose work was designated attorney work product.
Selected litigation and regulatory engagements
Testifying expert, federal patent litigation
Traffic technology · details provided to counselIndependent expert analysis of the accused technology, with deposition and trial testimony. Court, caption, and dates are provided to counsel subject to the confidentiality terms of the engagement.
Toll rate-increase application
Virginia State Corporation Commission · independent expert for SCC StaffReviewed the applicant’s travel-demand model and econometric traffic forecasts; filed written testimony and testified at the evidentiary hearing.
Personal-injury matter, roadway and terminal design
Massachusetts Superior Court, Suffolk County · for the injured plaintiffsDisclosed as a testifying expert. Analyzed roadway and transportation-terminal design as a contributing cause of a crash in which a vehicle failed to stop and struck workers.
Consulting-expert engagements, patent matters
Traffic-control technology · privilegedNon-testifying consulting work for counsel in patent matters involving traffic-control technology. Details are privileged and not listed.
Transportation infrastructure program litigation
Richland County, South Carolina · for the County Attorney’s OfficeReviewed program-management and engineering-services contracts and advised on industry custom and quality-assurance practice. Attorney work product.
Industry consulting, non-litigation
- Leidos2018–2020
- Sensys Networks2014, 2015
- Cambridge Systematics2011, 2013
- ITT Industries2005
Montasir M. Abbas, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech and a registered professional engineer, with prior practice at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Consulting is conducted through Intelligent Transportation Concepts, LLC, independently of the university.
Licensure and education
Appointments
Service and recognition
Built to withstand Daubert
Opinions rest on methods that are testable, peer-reviewed, standards-based, and reproducible from the underlying data, satisfying the reliability factors of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals and Federal Rule of Evidence 702.
Testability
Signal-control algorithms developed by Dr. Abbas were tested in hardware-in-the-loop and cabinet-in-the-loop simulation before deployment, then validated in field installations under FHWA, VCTIR, and TxDOT projects.
Peer review
Methods are documented in Transportation Research Record, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, the ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering, and in FHWA and TxDOT final reports.
Known error rate
Field and simulation evaluations produced quantified performance metrics with documented calibration and validation, including confidence intervals on reductions in dilemma-zone trapping, delay, and stops.
Standards
Analyses conform to the MUTCD, Highway Capacity Manual, Highway Safety Manual, AASHTO design guidance, and FHWA technical guidance where applicable.
General acceptance
The methods are those used in practice by state DOTs, FHWA, and the transportation-engineering research community, as reflected in agency guidance, NCHRP reports, and TRB committee work.
Reproducibility
Workflows for event-log decoding, timing-plan reconstruction, microsimulation calibration, and contributing-factor analysis are documented so another engineer can reproduce them from the same data.
The record behind the opinions
Selected peer-reviewed work and funded research most relevant to litigation in signal control, dilemma-zone protection, driver behavior, and crash causation. A full publication list is available on request.
Selected publications
- Ghorai, Eskandarian, Abbas, and Nayak. “A Causation Analysis of Autonomous Vehicles Crashes.” IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazine, 2024.
- Abbas, Wang, Higgs, Zaheri, and Ghanipoor. “High-Resolution Field Evaluation of Radar-Based Dilemma Zone Protection System.” Transportation Research Record 2557, 2016.
- Ghanipoor and Abbas. “Modeling Human Learning and Cognition Structure: Application to Driver Behavior in Dilemma Zone.” ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering 142(11), 2016.
- Machiani, Abbas, and Balfour-Kawasaki. “Modeling Driver Behavior and Learning in Dilemma Zone Using an Adaptive Driving Simulator Design.” Best Paper Award, Western Decision Sciences Institute, 2018.
- Wang and Abbas. “Area-wide Urban Traffic Optimal Splits Control under NEMA Standards with Model Predictive Control.” Transportation Research Record 2673(7), 2019.
- Abdelhalim and Abbas. “A Real-Time Safety-Based Optimal Velocity Model.” IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems 3, 2022.
- Abi Aad and Abbas. “An Optimization Framework for Pavement Treatment and Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Work Zone Closures.” Transportation Research Procedia 82, 2024.
- Dabiri and Abbas. “Evaluation of the Gradient Boosting of Regression Trees Method on Estimating the Car-Following Behavior.” Transportation Research Record 2672, 2018.
Selected funded research
- 2022–25FHWA / Battelle. Use of Real-Time Operations Strategies and Data for Proactive Safety Intervention. Virginia Tech PI.
- 2021–23USDOT / Purdue. Economical Acquisition of Intersection Data to Facilitate CAV Operations. Virginia Tech PI.
- 2018–20FHWA. Enabled Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation for Cooperative Automated Vehicles. Co-PI.
- 2012–14VCTIR. Addressing Dilemma Zone Issues with Control Solutions. PI.
- 2009–10SHRP II / National Academies. In-Vehicle Video Data to Modify Driver Behavior that Causes Non-Recurring Congestion. Co-PI.
- 2007–10NCHRP 3-90. Traffic Control Strategies for Oversaturated Conditions. Virginia Tech PI.
- 2006–10FHWA. Field Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Detection-Control System (D-CS). PI.
- 2001–05TxDOT. Detection-Control System, AWEGS advance warning, traffic-responsive plan selection, platoon progression, and video detection projects at TTI.
More than 40 grants in total, exceeding $9M in personal share and $37M in consortium share.
How an engagement proceeds
Engagements are contracted and billed through Intelligent Transportation Concepts, LLC. The fee schedule and engagement agreement are provided to counsel on request.
Conflict check
Counsel provides the caption, parties, and related entities. No substantive information is exchanged until the check clears.
Engagement agreement and retainer
Scope, fee schedule, and confidentiality terms are set in a signed agreement. A retainer is applied against fees as they accrue.
Review and analysis
Document, data, and site review; controller event-log decoding; simulation or field work as the matter requires.
Report or declaration
A Rule 26-compliant report or declaration stating opinions, bases, and the materials considered.
Deposition and trial
Preparation with counsel and testimony at deposition, hearing, or trial. Reserved dates are held exclusively for the retaining party.
Start with a conflict check
Send the case caption, the parties, and a sentence on the technical question. You will receive a prompt response on availability and conflicts.
Retained nationally. Based in Blacksburg, Virginia. The full expert witness CV, with Rule 26 testimony detail, is provided to counsel on request.
- PrincipalMontasir M. Abbas, Ph.D., P.E.
- Emailabbas@itc-expert.com
- Phone(540) 998-9989
- OfficeBlacksburg, Virginia
- CompanyIntelligent Transportation Concepts, LLC