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Workshops & Presentations
SDSU Annual Structural Seminar Focuses on Innovative Bridge Design
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at South Dakota State University (SDSU) held the SDSU 32nd Annual Structural Seminar Nov. 8, 2007, in Sioux Falls, SD. The one-day seminar was cosponsored by the MPC and the South Dakota Department of Transportation. "High Performance Steel" was the seminar's theme. Five speakers, who came from Boston, MA; Lincoln, NE; Irvine, CA; and Brookings, SD, made six presentations that focused mainly on recent developments in high performance steel application in bridge design and accelerated bridge construction. The seminar was coordinated by Nadim Wehbe, MPC program director at SDSU, and was attended by more than 75 engineers and steel fabricators.
Vision Safe Drive Conference
The first Vision Safe Drive Conference was held Nov. 29-30, 2007, in Bismarck, ND. Representatives from eight states and the District of Columbia were present with more than 100 attending and almost 30 speakers participating.
"The conference was a success in providing a venue for leaders and experts in traffic safety to make exchanges on emerging issues, successes, and challenges," notes Kim Vachal, director of the Rural Transportation Safety and Security Center, a part of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University. "These exchanges will be helpful in prioritizing research and outreach needs for the region as well as helping create a unified vision for traffic safety."
Public health educators, roadway engineers, social researchers, law enforcement officials, and state and federal agency staff discussed issues they have in common, shared what they are doing, and identified future policy and legislative initiatives to improve the safety and security of transportation in rural areas. Issues emerging from the discussion included:
- primary seat belt laws
- impaired driving initiatives
- Native American tribal safety planning
- simulation training or defensive driving courses for all ages at license renewal
- increased involvement with government officials and tribal representatives
- cultural awareness training
- increasing the accuracy of data
- creating a culture of safety
- behavioral and social marketing strategies, and
- technology and the future of rural driving.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) director of engineering and technical services, Tony Kane gave an opening keynote address focusing on the vision for future highway safety. He stressed the importance of safe roads in creating a safe and prosperous America. Specifically, Kane encouraged states to collectively adopt a vision to reduce highway fatalities by 50 percent by the year 2030 toward an ultimate goal of zero deaths.
Other speakers included leaders from federal and state transportation agencies including the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the North Dakota Safety Council, the Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance, the Montana Department of Public Instruction, North Dakota State University, and the departments of transportation in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Missouri and Oregon.
In addition, panel discussions were held to consider driver-based safety initiatives, how to influence rural drivers' behavior and how to provide safer roadways through design, operation, improvement and interagency cooperation. Many speakers emphasized the importance of coordination between the "four E's" – education, engineering, enforcement and evaluation.
Vision Safe Drive was sponsored by the Rural Transportation Safety and Security Center and Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University with support from the MPC and in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration North Dakota Division Office.
