Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (2005-2013)
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This collection contains all 22 issues of the electronic newsletter Rural Safety News, 5 fact sheets, and other publications of the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS). From 2005 to 2013, CERS was a joint program between CTS and the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, with sponsorship from the Federal Highway Administration, to facilitate research, training, and outreach activities related to rural transportation safety.
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Item Rural Transportation Safety: A Summary of Useful Practices(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, 2012-06) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)The purpose of this document is to provide the public, engineers, and policy-makers with a variety of methods and tools for increasing rural highway safety. This is not a fully comprehensive document; it aims to offer an introduction to the problem and then to provide three general areas of safety improvements: policy, engineering, and organizational change.Item Evaluating the Effectiveness of State Toward Zero Deaths Programs(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, 2012-11) Munnich, Lee W. Jr.; Douma, Frank; Qin, Xiao; Thorpe, J. David; Wang, KaiSince 2001 approximately 30 U.S. states have adopted programs to reduce traffic fatalities to zero with names such as Vision Zero, Target Zero, or Toward Zero Deaths (TZD). TZD is now being promoted as a national strategy by a coalition of transportation and safety groups. Successful TZD programs have five characteristics: 1) an ambitious goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries; 2) high levels of inter-agency cooperation in pursuit of the TZD goal among state departments of transportation, public safety, health, and other relevant agencies; 3) a comprehensive strategy addressing all 4 E’s – engineering, enforcement, education, and EMS elements of traffic safety; 4) a performance-based, data-driven system of targeting resources and strategies where they will have the greatest impact in reducing traffic fatalities; and 5) policy leadership from relevant entities, including the Governor, the state legislature, and the heads of state agencies. While many of the state TZD programs are relatively new and emerging, four state programs have been around long enough to have enough years of crash data to evaluate the impacts of the programs – Minnesota, Idaho, Utah and Washington. Statistical tests on these four programs support the conclusion that implementing TZD programs accelerates the reduction of fatality rates. The acceleration rate varies from state to state, taking time for a new program to gain its full effect. Although each state has different degrees of temporal effect of its TZD program, the average effect is more and more apparent over time.Item Rural Safety News (December 2011, vol. 5, no. 4)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2011) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Profiles in Safety: Nationwide scan effort aims to reduce rural lanedeparture crashes; National Toward Zero Death efforts lay groundwork for decreased rural road fatalities; Innovative traffic safety program seeks to predict and prevent traffic crashes system wide; Version 4 of SafeRoadMaps previewed at International GIS Day; More rural safety news and resources; 1/10/12 CERS webinar: Reducing Hazards from PavementEdge; DropOffs in Florida; Roadway Safety Noteworthy Practices Database; Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse recent additionsItem Rural Safety News (September 2011, vol. 5, no. 3)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2011) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Sustainable safety designs in The Netherlands target driving risks; Profiles in Safety: Iowa takes a team approach to rural road safety; Study finds staggered sentencing program reduces DWI offenses by 30 percent; More rural safety news and resources; CERS seeks topics and speakers for rural safety webinar series; Rural Road Safety Policy Subcommittee planning 2012 workshop; SafeRoadMaps featured at the Minnesota State Fair; CERS research published by TRB journal; Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse recent additionsItem Rural Safety News (June 2011, vol. 5, no. 2)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2011) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse revamped; Profiles in Safety: South Dakota takes a new approach to impaired driving; Georgia initiatives aimed at increasing safety belt use in rural areas; More rural safety news and resources; Become a friend of the Rural Road Safety Policy Subcommittee; International Conference on Low Volume Roads, July 24–27; Oberstar calls for ‘putting America first’ in transportation; CERS at the 2011 Lifesavers Conference; Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse updatesItem Rural Safety News (April 2011, vol. 5, no. 1)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2011) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Oberstar honored for career of public service; Profiles in Safety: Utah DOT aims for Zero Fatalities; National effort targets improved rural emergency medical services response; Version 4 of SafeRoadMaps under development; More rural safety news and resources; Rural Road Safety Policy Subcommittee holds first meeting; CrashHelp featured at annual ITS meeting; Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse recent additions; News coverage citing CERSItem Rural Safety News (December 2010, vol. 4, no. 4)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2010) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Technology improves rural intersection safety; County road safety plans address risk on local roads; Profiles in Safety: Sweden’s vision for safety; FHWA initiative helps bring drivers back safely from the edge; More rural safety news and resources; CERS national survey discussed at safety conference; TRB annual meeting sessions to focus on rural road safety; Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse recent additionsItem Rural Safety News (September 2010, vol. 4, no. 3)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2010) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Summer Institute eyes coordinated national rural road safety plan; SafeRoadMaps v. 3 features summer hot spots data; Profiles in Safety: Riding the safety circuit in Florida; Spotlight: Florida’s Community Traffic Safety Teams; CERS survey finds drivers take more risks on rural highways; More rural safety news and resources; CERS hosts Rural Safety Innovation Program project pages; SAFETEALU; Obligation Rates for the Highway Safety Improvement Program; Crash Help tool for emergency response wins best paper at ISCRAM2010; Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse; News coverage citing CERSItem Rural Safety News (June 2010, vol. 4, no. 2)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2010) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: CERS survey: An overwhelming majority want lawmakers to enact strong safety policies; Lifesaving impacts of safety laws calculated; Profiles in Safety: Using a data driven approach in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana; CERS partners with Isanti County to hold forum about teen driver safety; More rural safety news and resources; Knapp heads Iowa LTAP; Sign technology studied on rural roadway curves; TRB joint subcommittee on rural roadway safety formed; Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse recent additions; News coverage citing CERSItem Rural Safety News (March 2010, vol. 4, no. 1)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2010) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Safe Road Maps approaches 10 million hits, version 3.0 in development; Traffic and Safety Engineer's Corner: What’s in a name? A ‘rural’ roadway is still a safety concern; Profiles in Safety: One corridor at a time; Minnesota TZD helps provide safer ways home with new guide; Human factors key to safer road designs; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (December 2009, vol. 3, no. 4)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2009) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Getting local: LTAP and TTAP centers advocate rural safety; Profiles in Safety: A fact of life? Changing rural traffic safety culture; A matter of seconds: New research examines risk factors affecting motorcycle crash outcomes; Traffic and Safety Engineer's Corner: Connecting the implementation of engineering safety improvements and transportation policy research; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (September 2009, vol. 3, no. 3)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2009) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Summer Institute explores strategies for improving rural traffic safety; Profiles in Safety: Taking a wider view; Oct. 12 CERS seminar to examines behavioral and situational aspects of motorcycle collisions; Toward Zero Deaths: A National Movement; NHTSA Web site has 2008 fatality data and new Web mapping tool; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (July 2009, vol. 3, no. 2)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2009) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Enhanced version of SafeRoadMaps.org identifies national fatality ‘hot zones’; CERS publishes research report about feasibility of rural safety policy improvement index; Profiles in Safety: How to save a life; Traffic and Safety Engineer's Corner: Farmequipment/motorvehicle crashes; New NHTSA fact sheet compares 2007 rural and urban crashes; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (March 2009, vol. 3, no. 1)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2009) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: Safe Road Maps introduced at TRB; additional functionality planned for summer; Profiles in Safety: Ambitious reporting on Wisconsin’s ‘culture of alcohol’ aims to change public policy; ‘Zero in Wisconsin’ campaign launched; AAA Foundation’s usRAP paving the way for safer roads and drivers; Traffic and Safety Engineer's Corner: Rumble strips — not just for major roadways anymore; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (December 2008, vol. 2, no. 4)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2008) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: CERS publishes second rural safety research summary about Minnesota counties; CERS launches new partnership with Isanti County TZD; Profiles in Safety: Lessons from Maine on passing a primary seat belt law; Traffic and Safety Engineer's Corner: Two useful crashreduction documents; A new approach to rural intersection safety; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (September 2008, vol. 2, no. 3)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2008) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: A powerful new online crashmapping tool helps create safer roads; Summer Institute takes aim at ‘culture of complacency’ toward rural traffic fatalities with new tools and strategies; Photo enforcement offers new option for snagging violators; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (July 2008, vol. 2, no. 2)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2008) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: CERS hosts new Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse; Research seeks to save more lives by improving EMS response time; Profiles in Safety: North Carolina newspaper puts a face on rural fatalities; Guidelines offer conversion options for fourlane undivided highways; Traffic and Safety Engineer's Corner: Rural Roadway Crash CharacteristicsItem Rural Safety News (March 2008, vol. 2, no. 1)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2008) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: USDOT launches initiative to improve safety on rural roads; New crash prevention technologies could save more lives if deployed; Profiles in Rural Safety: Alabama’s Daniel Turner works to make roads safer and more efficient; Community Maps Pilot Site provides roadwork and crash data for southwestern Wisconsin counties; More rural safety news and resourcesItem Rural Safety News (March 2008 - News Update)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2008) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: U.S. Transportation Secretary Peters Announces New Strategy to Improve Safety on Rural Roads; FHWA: Rural Safety Innovation Program; USDOT Seeks Technology Solutions to Improve Safety and Reduce Traffic CongestionItem Rural Safety News (December 2007, vol. 1, no. 3)(Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) (Center for Transportation, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis), 2007) Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS)Articles include: CERS to publish first research summary about rural transportation safety planning; Cultural factors seen as crucial to improving rural safety; Profiles in Rural Safety: Idaho addresses rural EMS challenges; CERS welcomes safety and design researcher Keith Knapp; More rural safety news and resources