• December 06, 2018

    PacTrans Technology Transfer Success Story 2018 #5: Linking the Evaluation of Safety Data Management to Professional Certification

    During the course of the second iteration of the PacTrans Center, funded by MAP-21, PacTrans had an ongoing, three-year education project titled Safety Data Management and Analysis: Addressing the Continuing Education Needs for the Pacific Northwest. This project, led by University of Idaho Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kevin Chang, also had coPIs from each of our other consortium partner universities. The initial phase of this study developed a comprehensive understanding of needs and priorities with regard to data management and analysis and compiled a comprehensive set of safety data workforce development resources for use and distribution, while the subsequent stages tested, refined, modified, and updated the training tools by administering user surveys and conducting focus groups with practitioners and academics.

    This research group recently leveraged PacTrans Technology Transfer Success Story funds to develop educational tools (in the form of powerpoint slide decks) that highlighted the importance and impact of transportation safety. These tools were created and designed for widespread dissemination within the practitioner community. As part of the technology transfer and outreach activities, the powerpoint slide decks were refined to include a written script; this scripting could be adopted by any future presenter or refined, as needed, to suit individual presentation styles.

    Project investigators also met with and shared this content with staff at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). ITE has established a new Road Safety Professional (RSP) certification program with the goal of the program to “ensure that individuals have a foundational knowledge of all of road safety’s multidisciplinary dimensions.” As part of ongoing discussions, ITE was invited to incorporate these materials into their existing or future curriculum. Final presentation materials in electronic format are available upon request to Kevin Chang (UI), kchang@uidaho.edu.
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