2011 Toward Zero Deaths Conference

November 16-17, 2011
Duluth, Minnesota

Conference Materials

Presentations are posted for those sessions for which presenters granted permission.

Conference Presentations

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Opening Plenary: Teen’s Life Changed Forever in $13 Million Crash

In April 2003, 19-year-old Amber P. was stopped at an intersection in Ramsey, Minnesota, when a delivery driver traveling about 60 mph crashed into her vehicle. Amber sustained a brain injury so severe she will be unable to live independently for the rest of her life. In this session, participants heard from the lawyers who represented Amber in the civil case and learned how one “routine” crash ended up costing $13 million as a result of injuries, damages, and lifelong care. Amber’s mother, who provides most of her care and supervision, also spoke about the physical and emotional impacts of this life-changing event.

Plenary Session: Want Zero Deaths? Engage the System that Saves Lives: EMS

As the youngest “E,” emergency medical and trauma services offers significant opportunities for reduction of death and disability following motor-vehicle-related incidents. Pre-hospital care provided by local ambulance services, helicopter EMS, hospitals, and trauma centers offer proven potential for avoiding preventable deaths, especially in rural areas. This session discussed exciting possibilities emerging on the national level at the intersection of highway safety and intelligent transportation systems. It also included reactions from the Minnesota EMS and trauma care communities.

Engineering Solutions for Lane-Departure Crashes

In 2010, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program conducted a domestic scan to document successful engineering strategies that have been implemented to reduce lane-departure crashes. Strategies were collected from the states of Washington, Pennsylvania, Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Colorado, as well as from Wright County, Minnesota, and Mendocino County, California. Some of the members of the scan team presented their findings during this session.

TZD Safe Roads Grantee Meeting: Coalition Building and Program Sharing

To continue working toward its goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries on state and local roads, the Office of Traffic Safety in the Department of Public Safety is funding community coalition work through the TZD Safe Roads grant program. Coalition program successes and challenges were presented by community coordinators in this session. Regional TZD coordinators led a discussion on the local benefits of participating in regional efforts.

The Anatomy of an Intersection: Experience and Innovation

Highway intersections pose particular challenges with regard to safety and mobility as traffic volumes and congestion levels continue to increase. As a result, drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists experience longer delays and greater exposure to safety risks. Today’s traffic and safety problems are becoming increasingly complex and conventional intersections are not always sufficient to mitigate transportation problems. This session addressed how traditional urban and rural intersections are engineered for safety and how alternative intersection designs are being used as new strategies to improve intersection safety.

DWI Enforcement, E-charging, and Ignition Interlock

The presenters in this session discussed new and upcoming technologies, case law, statute changes, and enforcement strategies in detecting and removing impaired drivers from Minnesota’s roads.

START Triage: An Overview of a Multi-Casualty Incident

You are the first person on the scene of a bus crash where patients are scattered everywhere. Would you know what to do? This session talked about the basics of a triage situation, including a review of START (Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment) triage and victim prioritization.

LATCH Jeopardy: Do You Know All That the LATCH Manual Has to Offer?

Do you really understand all the valuable information contained in the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) manual? This session tested participants’ knowledge of the LATCH manual in an interactive format.

Good Trucker or Bad Trucker? Understanding the New CSA Program

The federal government has put a wealth of new information on the Internet as a result of its new CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) initiative. Such information can be useful to law enforcement…if they know what the data means. This session walked attendees through the CSA initiative and related sites to help law enforcement better understand and interpret this information to improve roadside safety.

How to Ramp up Traffic Safety Efforts in Your Community

Did you know that there are many organizations that provide free traffic programming and resources? This session provided an overview of what programs and resources are available. Attendees learned about tools to get their employees and communities engaged in traffic safety programming.

The Lights Are On but Nobody’s Home: Perspectives on 24-Hour Lighting Research

At the request of the Minnesota Legislature, the Department of Public Safety and the Minnesota Department of Transportation recently partnered on a study investigating the feasibility of requiring mandatory 24-hour vehicle lighting. This session discussed the findings of this research.

TZD Law Enforcement Grant Program

Significant changes have been made to the Office of Traffic Safety enforcement program. This session provided an overview of those changes and a presentation of the new e-grants system. Attendees had the opportunity to share suggestions for future program improvements and ideas on how they have enhanced their traffic safety enforcement program.

Ambulance Crashes and Occupant Injuries

This session showcased case studies of ambulance crashes and discussed lessons learned from those crashes. What caused the crash? What could have been done differently to prevent the crash? The session also covered the dangers of having improperly secured equipment in vehicles and the injuries that unsecured equipment can cause.

2011 CPS and Airbag Update

This session looked at new vehicles with up to 12 airbags and discussed how they relate to CPS. Attendees previewed frontal, side, knee, rear, rear seat, and side curtain airbags. New information was presented on locations of side seat and curtain airbag systems and on curtain airbags up to 8-10-feet long, and the speaker discussed how these airbags affect the placement of child safety seats. Participants also experienced a “live” side and side curtain airbag deployment.

Cops in Court: DWI Mock Trial

Mock trials are an effective tool for providing law enforcement and prosecutors with experience in case presentation and obtaining feedback and guidance for improving trial performance. This interactive workshop allowed law enforcement and prosecutors to observe and comment on the presentation of testimony in a DWI case.

Marketing Safety Across the Generations

We are in the middle of a safety revolution, and almost everyone in the nation agrees that the safety of our young people cannot be compromised. This is a unique moment and a unique opportunity. This session examined how we can reach Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millennial Generation—through the lens of popular culture—with the message of traffic safety at a pivotal point in our nation’s generational history.

Traffic Records Data: From Crash Scene to User Analysis

A traffic crash happens, but what happens to the information in the crash report? Session attendees followed the data as it is collected at the scene and through the process it undergoes to become available to users for analysis.

Traffic Law Jeopardy

Attendees participated in a virtual session of Jeopardy centered on traffic-safety-related laws and issues. Audience participants used clickers to respond to questions you might know and some you’ve never heard of.

Designer Drugs: New Tricks for Old Things

Designer drugs have become the latest craze throughout the nation. With the recent addition of K2 and spice and bath salts, everyone is wondering what these designer drugs are and how they affect the body’s responses when driving. This presentation provided a closer look at their use, effects, and how they are being dealt with in our communities and on our highways.

Essentia Health CPS Case Studies

This session presented case studies from Essentia Health in Duluth that highlight injury patterns related to proper and improper child restraint use. Valuable discussion regarding proper pre-hospital and hospital care was also presented.

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement 101

If it is big, heavy, and makes hissing sounds (air brakes), this session reviewed what you need to know about it from an enforcement perspective. Attendees learned the basics about commercial vehicle enforcement—things every cop should know.

Sharing the Road Part I—Myths and Myth Busters

Are bicycle and pedestrian crashes on the rise? Are the number of people walking and biking increasing, and if yes, where? Where is the safest place to ride a bicycle? What time of day do most crashes with pedestrians occur? What is the Minnesota crosswalk law? Can a bicyclist legally use the full traffic lane? Attendees got answers to these and other important questions in the first of a two-part session on sharing the road with bicyclists and pedestrians.

Rural ITS: Lessons Learned

Dynamic traffic-actuated intelligent transportation system solutions are being used more and more in rural areas. Many of these systems address improving safety at rural intersections and curves. Our expert panel highlighted systems that are being developed, discussed lessons learned, presented effectiveness, and outlined things to consider before deployment.

Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS)

Participants learned about how DDACTS has been implemented in the City of Duluth as a partnership between the Duluth Police Department and the Minnesota State Patrol. Attendees also learned ways to implement the same program in their communities as a method to reduce crime and increase traffic safety.

Motor Vehicle Crash Case Studies: Comparative Patient Outcomes Based on Seatbelt Utilization

This session provided an insider’s view of the care and outcomes of critically and non-critically injured victims of motor vehicle crashes. Trauma case studies were reviewed for comparison of traumatic injuries sustained by both belted and unbelted occupants in same vehicle crashes. Participants reviewed cases from initial findings of first responders through the amazing variation in discharge outcomes.

CPS—Technical Changes, Updates, and Future Technology: What Every CPS Advocate Needs to Know

As CPS advocates, we all know how important it is to stay current with new products and changes in technology. This session addressed changes to child restraints and vehicles that affect what we all do in the field. It took a close look at new products and how higher-weight harnessed restraints affect our ability to use the LATCH system. This session also addressed the use of child restraints outside the vehicle and the dangers it poses to our smallest passengers.

Engaging Parents of Teen Drivers: Content and Methods for Implementing a Parental Education Class

Effective parental involvement holds significant promise for reducing young driver crashes. Many parents lack awareness of teen driving risks and laws, the important role they play in developing a safe driver, and the tools available to help them. In this session, participants learned about content and strategies to implement a successful parent/teen driver education class with involvement from various traffic safety partners, and about the MADD Power of Parents program.

Sharing the Road Part II—Tools for Success

Part I (session 23) covered bicycle and pedestrian laws, where and why crashes occur, and other data. How do we take that information and use it to foster behavior changes in motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to improve safety and reduce crashes? What role does education and enforcement play? In this session, attendees studied cases and best practices to educate the public and conduct enforcement campaigns. Participants learned about tools they can use in their communities to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety.

The Sound of Saving Lives

Rumble strips and rumble stripes are two of the most cost-effective strategies for reducing lane-departure crashes; however, concerns have been raised both by residents who live close to rumbles and by bicyclists. This session discussed the performance of rumble strips and stripes, as well as accommodations that are being proposed to reduce concerns from neighbors and bicyclists.

What’s New with Traffic Crash Reconstruction?

Participants discovered new technology related to crash reconstruction in this session. What is a black box? What does it record? What vehicles have them? Attendees learned the answers to those questions and walked through a case study at the same time.

To Cool or Not to Cool: A Case Study of Hypothermia in Pediatric Neurotrauma

Hypothermia in pediatric neurotrauma is a technique to help lessen the severity of secondary brain injury. This session followed the case of a child involved in a car crash whose care involved hypothermia. Attendees learned how the hospital medical providers, based on information received from first responders in the field, challenged the cutting edge of neurocritical care.

Minnesota State Booster Seat Survey Results

Are more 4- to 7-year-old Minnesota children buckling up in boosters? This session presented information and provided an opportunity for discussion on Minnesota’s booster seat usage rate.