For the first five years after he became a quadriplegic in a farming accident, Chad Hymas refused to pursue his love of scouting for elk.

Finally, after his father invited him again, said it wasn’t about him and said he would take his two sons himself, Hymas answered the challenge.

That was a turning point for Hymas and one he keeps constantly before him by posting a photo of his son from that day. 

Hymas, who was injured near his home in Utah on April 3, 2001, was the keynote speaker for ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo. He took part in the Convention’s second general session today, which also included a Government Relations Panel featuring Sen. Shelly Moore Capito, (R-W.Va.), American Highway Users Alliance President & CEO Laura Perrotta  and ATSSA Vice President of Engagement Nate Smith discussing their outlook on transportation funding. ATSS Foundation Board Chair Dave Krahulec provided an update on Foundation efforts and fundraising events.

Automated vehicles will be mainstream in the next decade, members of an Innovation Panel predicted today during the first general session of ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

Timothy Drake, vice president of public policy and regulatory affairs at ITS America, said he expected trucking fleets and public transportation would be the first to take that step and be in place in the 2030s. With that in mind, he said planning needs to take place now within jurisdictions across the country and state departments of transportation (DOTs).

Nazila Roofigari-Esfahan, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech, agreed with Drake but said she hoped it wouldn’t take place before people are ready for it. She said both infrastructure and individuals need to be prepared for that shift in transportation.

The Innovation Panel was one part of today’s general session at ATSSA’s 2021 Convention & Traffic Expo. The session kicked off with a welcome from Board Chair Greg Driskell and the State of the Association Report by ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner. That was followed by a State of the Industry panel and announcement of two industry awards.

ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo resumes on Tuesday. The second week of this two-week event includes two general sessions packed with industry panels and the ever-popular Circle of Innovation, which this year is open to all attendees.

Tuesday's general session will include a State of the Industry Panel, Industry Innovation Panel, State of the Association Report, and the presentation of the Industry Achievement and Mark of Excellence awards. The Trade Show booths open on Tuesday and will be open from noon to 5 p.m. daily. 

It’s not too late to register for everything this unique, online event has to offer.

Training and technology were identified as two important areas to address during this morning’s Roadway Worker Protection Summit, the kick-off event of ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

“Training is absolutely critical,” said Kathi Holst, a four-decade member of the industry, an ATSSA board member and president & CEO of RCMS in Naperville, Ill. “If we aren’t providing training … we are negligent.”

Holst was one of four panelists for the Summit, which addressed both prevention of work zone incidents and resources for use if the worst happens and an employee gets killed on the job. ATSSA Vice President of Education & Technical Services Donna Clark and ATSS Foundation Chair Dave Krahulec moderated the discussion, which also included Doug Dolinar, who is president of Guidemark Inc. of Souderton, Pa., and also an ATSSA board member.

The American Traffic Safety Services Foundation (The ATSS Foundation) offers academic scholarships to the spouses and children of roadway workers killed or permanently disabled in work zone incidents to help them achieve their academic goals.

Applications for Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year are due by Feb. 15. Roadway Worker Memorial scholarships are competitive and awarded annually to help put family members on the road to a brilliant future.

Scholarships provide financial assistance up to $10,000 for post-secondary education. Applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteerism may be eligible for an additional $1,000 in honor of Chuck Bailey, a member of the roadway safety industry who died in 2002.

The ATSS Foundation thanks everyone who supported it on Giving Tuesday.

The Foundation raised nearly 80 percent of its goal of $5,000 for the one-day event in which people worldwide support worthwhile causes.

The Foundation works daily to make zero deaths a reality through charitable programs and public awareness.

Workplace Giving programs provide a way for companies and their teams to enjoy the satisfaction of helping support people impacted by roadway work zone tragedies.

Participants can experience the joy of seeing a student pursue career goals thanks to a college scholarship, help a child work toward healing after the loss of a parent in a work zone incident through an Experience Camp, feel the gratification of knowing children are being taught about work zone safety through the use of activity books, and know the grave risks of roadway work zones are being communicated through the National Work Zone Memorial.

Those are just some of the ways The ATSS Foundation carries out its mission of promoting roadway safety through charitable giving and public awareness.

The last time Cody Garner saw his father was when he dropped him at football practice. Hours later, his father was killed in a work zone accident.

Cody was just beginning his sophomore year of high school when he lost his father. Today he’s starting his senior year at the University of Arkansas where he is pursuing a double major and a double minor. He’s grateful to the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation for the Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship he has received each year of his college studies.

Though this year’s pandemic has challenged people in countless ways, The Foundation still needs help to carry out the programs it offers to support individuals and families impacted by work zone incidents.

At a time when lives are restricted due to the global pandemic and many people are looking for ways to make a difference, The ATSS Foundation has an option.

The Foundation needs volunteers to help gather the names of men and women who lost their lives in work zone incidents so they can be honored by inclusion on the  National Work Zone Memorial.

“Families whose lives have been marked by work zone tragedies continue to need our help. One way to support them while maintaining social distancing and without even leaving your home is to help gather names of people who should be honored and remembered on the Memorial,” said Foundation Associate Director Lori Diaz.

Midyear Digital offers a simple equation for maximizing your gift to the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation.

With this year’s virtual format, travel costs are eliminated so consider donating what you would have spent on a cab or Uber. Plus, Foundation sponsors are matching donations so your donation will be multiplied as much as tenfold.