Booklets illustrate how to ‘Advance Roadway Safety’ through ATSSA member products and services

For years now, ATSSA has been writing, creating and providing exceptional roadway safety research and case studies booklets to its membership – at no cost – as a unique benefit to help ATSSA members explain their lifesaving products to help save lives and ultimately maximize their business opportunities.

The booklets are developed based on the current needs of ATSSA members, which are determined through a series of surveys and conversations primarily shared with members at two of ATSSA’s main events – the Midyear Meeting and the Annual Convention. Hard copies are available for both members and non-members. Members get discounted pricing on hard copies and can access digital copies free of charge.

Survey results from the Circle of Innovation workshop, for example, are evaluated in detail by staff following the Annual Convention to determine what attendees feel are trending, or urgent, issues in the roadway safety industry.

“These issues change frequently based on a number of factors, including transportation funding, newly released statistics, needs from the field, innovation, or from ideas and discussions in committees,” said ATSSA’s Director of Communications James Baron.

Once a topic is identified, ATSSA will then seek the assistance of a university, or a transportation research organization, to help conduct a literature review, research, and compilation of the individual case studies. When any given case study project is completed, each booklet contains eight to 12 unique case studies on the specific topic. ATSSA members may then utilize the booklets locally to help educate their individual departments of transportation, stake holders, or local elected officials and civic groups on the importance of improving roadway safety.

As the case studies are individually prepared, they are first reviewed by a volunteer review team, usually made up of ATSSA members or industry professionals, who are experts in the particular area of study that the booklet is focused on. Seeking input from ATSSA members and industry professionals is critical to ensure all aspects of a particular subject are covered appropriately.

Some of the more popular case study booklets that ATSSA has delivered over the years have included, “Improving Driver Behavior with Infrastructure Safety Countermeasures,” “Emerging Safety Countermeasures for Wrong-Way Driving,” and “Cost Effective Local Road Safety Planning and Implementation.” In each of these booklets – as in all ATSSA case study booklets – a situation is presented, usually a dangerous roadway condition, or an area that would benefit from a safety improvement, usually a simple low-cost solution readily available through a local ATSSA member. The booklets then clearly illustrate how ATSSA member products and services improve the condition, making the specific area safer for both motorists and pedestrians.

“A situation in one of the booklets that comes to mind was a dangerous curve on a rural road,” said Baron. “In that specific case, the low-cost solution to that particular problem was something as simple as placing chevron signs in the curve to reduce speed and improve the safety of the roadway. This is where ATSSA members came to the rescue locally in helping to reduce the number of accidents and incidents in that particular area.”

The two latest case study booklets ATSSA is developing include an examination of Complete Streets projects across the United States, as well as a second booklet that will highlight devices that can reduce work zone intrusions, including innovation that alerts motorists and connected autonomous vehicles that they are approaching a work zone. Both publications will be mailed to all ATSSA members during the Annual Convention and Traffic Expo in San Antonio, Texas in January 2018, and are both in line with ATSSA’s goal of reducing the number of roadway fatalities to zero on our nation’s roadways. Following distribution to members, both of the new case study booklets will be available for download at the ATSSA website, once ATSSA members log in with their username and password.

All previous case study booklets prepared for ATSSA members to assist them in their day-to-day business opportunities are located under the “Communications” tab of ATSSA.com, click here to explore the online archive. ATSSA members can download digital copies free of charge and additionally, find instructions on how members and non-members can order hard copies of the booklets.

If you have a suggestion for a future case study booklet that you feel would benefit ATSSA members, as well as the entire roadway safety industry, send your idea to Communications@atssa.com.