Dr. David Preusser

Preusser, Dr. David F.
May 27, 1945-May 19, 2015
Dr. David F. Preusser was born in Norwalk, CT and lived most of his life in Fairfield County. He received a B.A. from Fordham University, an M.A. from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Yale University. He was a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserve.
Dr. Preusser was a pioneer in the field of transportation safety and widely respected by colleagues and clients. He designed a multitude of scientific program evaluations and was published in peer review journals for many years where he reported on behavior related safety topics including occupant protection, impaired driving, drugged driving, cognitive changes in older drivers, teen driver licensing and fatal/injury crashes related to pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists. He was on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Safety Research and a valuable member of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety.
Dr. Preusser's career started in 1971 at Dunlap and Associates in Darien, CT. In 1990, he founded Preusser Research Group which was located in Trumbull, CT and he continued his pioneering work in the field of transportation safety. Starting with three employees, the company grew to over twenty professionals and now has offices in both Trumbull, CT and Oxford, MS. This year, Preusser Research Group celebrated twenty-five years in business.
In 2004, Preusser Research Group was presented with the prestigious Widmark Institutional Award of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Safety in Oslo, Norway. Since 1965, only fifteen groups have been presented with this award. The purpose is to recognize organizations that have contributed to the advancement of science in areas related to alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. The award committee announced that Preusser Research Group had established itself as one of the foremost research organizations dealing with highway safety problems resulting from drug and alcohol impairment.
In recent years, he enjoyed spending time in Naples, Florida where he loved the beach. He also enjoyed mentoring a young, fatherless teenaged boy and providing him with academic guidance and emotional support.
He is survived by his wife, Eloise Johnson Preusser of Naples, FL and Fairfield, CT; his brother, Alan Preusser of Plainville, CT; his sister, Charlene Picard of Shelton, CT; and his stepdaughter, Erica Johnson of New York City. He was predeceased by his first wife, Carol Wilhelm.
Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service on Friday, June 12, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Brooklawn Country Club, 500 Algonquin Road in Fairfield.
Donations may be made in his memory to: Fordham University, Attention Gift System, 888 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019. To send an online condolence, please visit www.shaughnesseybanks.com.