$1000 ITE Member/$1250 Non-member/$500 Student Chapter Member

Institute of Transportation Engineers and U.S. DOT-Federal Highway Administration, Office of Safety, have developed targeted highway safety training for transportation engineering and planning professionals. The 8-module series serves as an introduction to some of the core knowledge, skills and abilities needed to work effectively and efficiently in the highway safety field. The learning objectives of these Web seminars are based on the Transportation Research Board’s Joint Subcommittee for Highway Safety Workforce Development document, Research Results Digest 302, Core Competencies for Highway Safety Professionals. Course titles include:The Es of Safety, History, Perspectives and Institutionalization of Traffic Safety in the United States, Introduction to Traffic Safety Data, Introduction to Transportation Safety Planning, Introduction to Human Factors, Introduction to The Road Environment, Introduction to Safety Evaluation: Part I, Introduction to Safety Evaluation: Part II and Introduction to Crash Analysis. While the courses may be taken separately, participants are encouraged to attend the courses in the scheduled order.

See individual modules below for course details and learning objectives.

Various experts in their field to share their knowledge on the appropriate topic.

Launches the “Introduction to Highway Safety” Series. The Web seminar is intended to provide an overview of the evolution of crash fatality and injury trends, safety cultures, crash demographics and federal and state safety legislation. It will also provide some comparison trends seen in other highly motorized countries.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Recall basic terminology and common sources for crash statistics.
2) Identify the trends, challenges and opportunities for making changes in traffic crash fatalities and injuries.
3) Compare and contrast the safety culture in the United States to other countries.
4) Recognize key federal and state safety legislation.

John R. Freeman, Jr., P.E., PTOE, FITE, Senior Principal, Kittelson & Associates, Inc., Orlando, FL, USA; Elizabeth Wemple, P.E., MITE, Senior Transportation Engineer, Kittelson & Associates, Inc., Portland, OR, USA;  Mario G. Candia-Martinez, Engineering Associate, Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

John has more than 35 years of experience in traffic engineering, transportation planning, functional and final design and highway safety. John’s diverse expertise provides great insight in the research and training he conducts. He is currently completing a research project for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) entitled “Innovative Operational Safety Improvements at Unsignalized Intersections” He has led the efforts of the focus groups for two previous FHWA research projects Guidelines for High-Volume Signalized Intersections and Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Checklist. Mr. Freeman is also active in developing and conducting safety training. He recently completed three modules for the FDOT “Safe Mobility for Life” (formerly elder road user program) regarding interstates and expressways, state and local roads and pedestrians and other road users. Mr. Freeman has served on the instruction team for the delivery of the two-day FHWA “Designing and Operating Intersections for Safety” course as part of the FDOT Educational Exposition on four occasions. Additionally, Mr. Freeman has conducted road safety audit training on numerous occasions using the one day training presentation developed as part of the FHWA Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Checklist.
Mr. Freeman is a past International President (2003) for the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Beth has worked on transportation planning projects, public works and development projects throughout the Northwest. Her recent work in road safety research and network screening program development is a unique integration of Beth’s transportation planning and traffic engineering skills. The result is safer projects that include the needs of all users of the transportation system. She is currently the co-Principal Investigator on the first edition of the Highway Safety Manual, which with be a practical applications-oriented manual for highway safety drawing from more than ten years of research completed for the Highway Safety Manual task force. In the planning field she has worked on community wide transportation plans, institutional master plans (e.g. colleges, hospitals, and business centers), local circulation plans, downtown parking management plans, and neighborhood traffic management plans. Her particular interest in the planning field is developing solutions that can be readily implemented and meet community and jurisdictional needs.

Mario has served as an engineering associate in a diversity of projects for public and private clients throughout the country and abroad.  Mario’s work has included projects in long-range transportation planning, traffic operations, ITS, research and safety. Recently, he was involved in the safety analysis for the I-95 PD&E study which encompassed the diagnosis of roadway segments with high crash occurrences. Mario has also conducted a crash diagnostics analysis involving traffic signal investigation to determine the existence of dilemma zones.  He is currently involved in the production of the First Edition of the Highway Safety Manual. His work includes writing the technical content of the manual as well as addressing the usability and applicability of accident modification factors.

Provides the participant with the background and understanding of the Es of safety. It will provide an overview of safety terminology, Haddon Matrix, integrated safety management and how to use safety goals to create a culture of safety.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Discuss why there are different reactive safety terms.
2) Describe the traditional and expanded Es of safety and their roles.
3) Define the differences between reactive and proactive safety analysis.
4) Apply the Haddon Matrix.

Eugene M. Wilson, PE, Ph.D., PTOE, HITE, Transportation Engineering Safety Consultant, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA

Dr. Wilson is a professor emeritus in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Wyoming. Gene received his BSCE and MSCE degrees from the University of Wyoming and his Ph.D. degree from Arizona State University. He is a registered Professional Engineer and certified as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer. Gene has been actively involved in transportation safety research, training and education for over 40 years. He is an honorary member of ITE and recipient of ITE's Burton W. Marsh, Theodore M. Matson and Edmund R. Ricker Awards. 

Provides an introduction to the field of human factors as it relates to human behavior, roadway design and safety, as well as human characteristics as they relate to the driving task. The Web seminar will review demographic and environmental influences on driver behavior.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Summarize basic concepts of human factors as they relate to roadway safety and design.
2) Describe the abilities and limitations of drivers and road users.
3) Identify linkages between drivers, road design and crashes.

Gregory W. Davis, Ph.D., MITE, Research Psychologist, FHWA Office of Safety R & D, McLean, VA, USA

Dr. Davis is research psychologist for FHWA with over seven years of experience in transportation research. He received a Doctorate in Experimental Psychology from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas in 1999. Dr. Davis also holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

During his career, Dr. Davis served as a principal investigator for human factors research relating to intersection highway safety, highway operations, pedestrian accessibility, and ITS. In this capacity, he performed all aspects of research including the development of testing protocols and research designs; data collection on closed courses, in the field, and in a driving simulator; data analysis; writing technical reports; budget management; creating presentations; and giving presentations at major conferences across the United States. Major projects included an Analysis of Path and Speed through Double-Lane Roundabouts, the Effectiveness of Infrastructure Based Collision Warning Systems, an Operational and Safety Assessment of the Diverging Diamond Interchange, a study on the Visibility Requirements for Drivers on Two-Lane Rural Roads at night, retroreflectivity of pavement markings using mobile and portable reflectometers, and different types of curve delineation treatments for two-lane rural roads. Dr. Davis also worked with the United States Access Board on a series of projects to assess the needs of Blind Pedestrians at single and double-lane roundabouts.
Current research interests for Dr. Davis include intersection safety and operations, ITS applications for vehicle-infrastructure integration, driver performance issues related to roadway design, and pedestrian accessibility issues for the handicapped and visually impaired. Currently, he is the FHWA program manager for the ITS CICAS initiative. Dr. Davis is an active member of ITE, ITSA, and HFES.

Provides participants with the understanding of the importance of traffic data for defining and pinpointing safety issues. The Web seminar will cover the interrelationships between components of traffic records systems; use Haddon Matrix to show interrelationships between crash factors; and identify the strengths and weaknesses of data sources. There will also be discussion of how data can be improved to be more useful to traffic safety decision-makers.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Identify components of a complete traffic records system.
2) Describe how components are interrelated.
3) Recognize strengths and weaknesses of data sources.

Robert A. Scopatz, Ph.D., Director for Research and Government Services, Data Nexus, Inc, College Station, TX, USA

Dr. Scopatz is the Director for Research and Government Services for Data Nexus, Inc., and has over 25 years of experience in the design and analysis of research studies using statistical and operations research techniques. Over 20 years of his experience has been in transportation and traffic safety analyses in support of motor carriers, pavement, bridge, and traffic management programs. His expertise includes training development and delivery using Instructional Systems Design (ISD) and National Highway Institute (NHI) development processes, data analysis methodology, user-interface design, strategic planning, human factors, human/computer interaction, group performance improvement, learning, motivation, customer service evaluation, system performance improvement, and organizational change He served as Director and Acting Assistant Commissioner for the New York City Department of Transportation’s Analysis Division and developed procedures and training for all field data collection efforts of the agency. Dr. Scopatz has developed training for a range of transportation-related activities including field data collection, software system use and support, traffic records management and analysis, and general traffic records knowledge. His experience also includes use of ISD techniques to develop and evaluate training for the military (US Navy) and the US Customs Service. He is a contributing member of the HSM Content Review subcommittee.

Provides background and overview information for incorporating safety in the planning process. The module will define transportation safety planning (TSP); and its various approaches and significance in short-term and long-range planning. Examples and tools will be used to highlight the concepts.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Explain why safety should be considered during the planning process.
2) Identify and describe the critical elements of TSP.
3) List the disciplines and partners of TSP.
4) Explain how TSP can be integrated in short-term and long-range planning processes.

Ida van Schalkwyk, Ph.D., SITE, Assistant Professor, Oregon State University, School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Corvallis, OR, USA

Ida joined Oregon State University as an Assistant Professor in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering in February 2008. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University and a Masters and Bachelors in Engineering from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Her primary interest is safety as it relates to system management (planning, design, operations, and maintenance). She is one of the researchers on the NCHRP 8-44 and 8-44(2) team. 

Discusses the influence of the road environment on the safety performance of a road. The module defines roadway function and how it is used in roadway design and considered in planning for safety performance. The instructors review will include: design and speed zoning; horizontal and vertical alignment; horizontal curves; vertical alignment; cross-section and also review location invisibility; functional area; intersection approaches; auxiliary lanes; traffic control; and multimodal considerations. The Web seminar will also include discussion on the concepts and benefits of road safety and intersection safety audits for substantive and proactive safety.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Recognize the extent to which the road environment is a contributor to traffic collisions.
2) Distinguish how roadway function changes based on key roadway design parameters.
3) Identify how the design and operational elements of road sections, intersections and traffic control can affect safety performance.
4) Define nominal and substantive safety.
5) Define benefits of road safety intersection safety audits.

Russell Brownlee, B.A.Sc., M.A. Sc., P.E., FITE, Transportation Safety Engineer, Giffin Koerth, Toronto, ON, Canada

Russell is a transportation engineer and road safety specialist with Giffin Koerth Forensic Engineering and Science in Toronto, Ontario. At G-K, he provides expert opinion relating to transportation facility design, operations and maintenance within their accident reconstruction group. He is a recognized expert in undertaking in-service safety reviews of transportation facilities. In the recent past he has completed in-service safety studies encompassing over 330 kilometres of roadway and 150 intersections and accesses on a wide variety of facilities. Russell is an active member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). He has been a member of the Traffic Engineering Council Executive Committee for a number of years and has recently been appointed as the Chair of the Transportation Safety Council Executive Committee.

Provides professionals with tools for problem identification to create better highway safety improvement programs. It introduces the participant to the availability and application of techniques to identify and analyze high-hazard locations such as intersections, roadway sections and neighborhood street systems. It also covers the use of collision and condition diagrams.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Identify the elements of a successful highway safety program.
2) Select an appropriate method of identifying hazardous locations.
3) Apply processes for analyzing high-hazard locations to deduce underlying causal factors.
4) Apply process for identifying potential countermeasures.

Robert Seyfried, P.E., PTOE, FITE, RK Seyfried Associates, Evanston, IL, USA

Robert is the former Director of Transportation Engineering Programs for the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety. He is responsible for the administration, planning, development and presentation of seminars and workshops in Transportation Engineering both on-campus in Evanston, Illinois and throughout the United States.  Mr. Seyfried has a total of 39 years experience in transportation engineering, and has been on the staff of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety for the past 32 years.

Mr. Seyfried has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Regulatory/Warning Signs Technical Committee of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. He is a member of the board of directors of the Transportation Professional Certification Board. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois and a Certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer.

Mr. Seyfried is the author of the chapter on Signs and Pavement Markings for the ITE Traffic Engineering Handbook and the chapter on Traffic Signal Operations for the ITE Intersection Safety Toolbox. He is also the principle author of the ITE refresher courses for the PTOE, TOPS, and TSOS certification examinations.

Safety evaluation and the application of crash modification factors are parts of a safety review process. This Web seminar will assist participants in identifying the who, what, when and why of safety evaluations.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Utilize science-based highway safety research and its applications.
2) Identify attributes of typical statistical techniques used in safety evaluation.

INSTRUCTOR:

Geni Bahar, P.E., MITE, President, NAVIGATS, Inc., North York, ON, Canada

Geni is the President of the recently-launched NAVIGATS Inc., a company focused on highway safety engineering. Geni, who has over 28 years of transportation experience, was named the 2007 Transportation Person of the Year by the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) and Transport Canada. The award recognized her for her leadership, excellence and achievements in the transportation sector. Geni has successfully led FHWA, NCHRP, and TAC research projects, and she has also worked closely with Federal, State, Provincial, and Municipal agencies in the development of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency Strategic Highway Safety Plans and Programs. Additionally, she has created and facilitated practitioners' training using state-of-art knowledge. Geni is an active member of several TRB Committees, TAC Committees, and ITE Transportation Safety Council.

This Web seminar is a continuation of Part I. The instructor and participants will review a detailed case study. This course will discuss the application of Crash Reduction Factors (CRFs), Crash Modification Factors (CMFs, AMFs) and critical review of publications and sources of information.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

1) Recognize the importance of computing the expected safety effectiveness and implementation costs associated with a countermeasure.
2) Select alternative countermeasures or treatments.

Geni Bahar, P.E., MITE, President, NAVIGATS, Inc., North York, ON, Canada

Geni is the President of the recently-launched NAVIGATS Inc., a company focused on highway safety engineering. Geni, who has over 28 years of transportation experience, was named the 2007 Transportation Person of the Year by the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) and Transport Canada. The award recognized her for her leadership, excellence and achievements in the transportation sector. Geni has successfully led FHWA, NCHRP, and TAC research projects, and she has also worked closely with Federal, State, Provincial, and Municipal agencies in the development of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency Strategic Highway Safety Plans and Programs. Additionally, she has created and facilitated practitioners' training using state-of-art knowledge. Geni is an active member of several TRB Committees, TAC Committees, and ITE Transportation Safety Council.