Opening General Session
(C) Chatham Ballroom C

Welcome:

• Vernon Betkey, Chairman, Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Director, Maryland Highway Safety Office, Hanover, Md.

Opening Ceremonies:

• Presenting the Colors – Georgia State Patrol
• Pledge of Allegiance – Vernon Betkey
• National Anthem – Matthew Kanneberg, Weyerhaeuser Company, Port Wentworth Mill, Ga.

Georgia Welcome:

• Honorable Otis Johnson, Mayor, Savannah, Ga.

Keynote Speakers:

Honorable Debbie Hersman
Chairman
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Washington, D.C.
Bio

James Vondale
Director, Automotive Safety Office
Ford Motor Company
Dearborn, Mich.
Bio

Workshop 1
Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS)
(C) Meeting Room 203
This workshop will provide an overview of a progressive law enforcement operational model that places a renewed focus on traffic law enforcement as an effective tool in reducing crime, crashes and traffic violations.

Moderator:

• Billie Johnson, Assistant Director, Division of Highway Safety Programs, Office of Highway Safety, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Mt. Sterling, Ky.

Speakers:

• Michael Geraci, Director, Office of Safety Programs, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Washington, D.C.
• Kendell Poole, Director, Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office, Nashville, Tenn.
• Captain Howard Hall, Commanding Officer, Operational Services Section, Baltimore County Police Department, Baltimore, Md.

Workshop 2
Traffic Safety Fundamentals: Connecting the Dots
(C) Meeting Room 204
The current traffic safety workforce is aging, and there are few opportunities to attract new members into the field or train them in transportation safety fundamentals. Speakers at this workshop will discuss efforts to evaluate the nature of traffic safety workforce training in this country and develop a basic, inter-disciplinary course on the subject.

Moderator:

• Marianne Trussell, Chief Safety Officer, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, Fla.

Speakers:

• Susan Herbel, Principal, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Heathrow, Fla.
• Paul Jovanis, Director, Transportation Operations Program, Larson Transportation Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.
• Randall Smith, Traffic Safety Administrator, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, Fla.

Workshop 3
Teen Drivers: Crashes Waiting to Happen
(C) Meeting Room 205
Imagine being able to “pre-identify” teen drivers who have an increased risk of crash involvement? What if novice drivers were required to place an “identifier” on their vehicles to aid police in enforcing a state’s graduated drivers license (GDL) law? Has 30 class room hours and 6 driving hours become passé? Learn about the latest tools, training and policies designed to help teens survive the most dangerous time of their lives.

Moderator:

• Pam Fischer, Governor’s Representative and Director, New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, Trenton, N.J.

Speakers:

• Renee Slick, President/CEO, RRG Consulting, Inc., Manhattan, Kan.
• Allen Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, American Driver and Traffic Safety Education AssocIation (ADTSEA), Indiana, Pa.

2009 GHSA Highway Safety Awards Luncheon
(W) Grand Ballroom ABC
Sponsored by AAA and AAA Auto Club South

Master of Ceremonies:

• Troy Costales, Chairman, GHSA Member Services Committee, Governor’s Representative and Administrator, Oregon Transportation Safety Division, Salem, Ore.

Workshop 4
Bolstering Occupant Protection
(C) Meeting Room 203
This workshop will address strategies to help increase belt use in states, including passage of primary belt laws, increasing the effectiveness of booster seat laws and nighttime seat belt enforcement.

Moderator:

• Bridget White, Administrator, Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office, Little Rock, Ark.

Speakers:

• Dr. Joseph Thompson, Arkansas Surgeon General and Director, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), Little Rock, Ark.
• Lawrence Decina, Senior Associate, TransAnalytics, Kulpsville, Pa.
• Lowell Porter, Governor’s Representative and Director, Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Olympia, Wash.

Workshop 5
New and Cool Highway Safety Technologies
(C) Meeting Room 204
This workshop will examine three new traffic safety technologies that will go a long way in reducing motor vehicle crashes on our roadways.

Moderator:

• Chuck DeWeese, Assistant Commissioner, New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, Albany, N.Y.

Speakers:

• James Vondale, Director, Automotive Safety Office, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich.
• Trevor Fischbach, Vice President, Sales and Business Development, StarChase, Martinsville, N.J.
• Jim Sayer, Associate Research Scientist, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), Ann Arbor, Mich.I

It is strongly recommended that those interested in the Savannah walking tour at 3:45 pm also attend Workshop 6. Please wear comfortable clothing and good walking shoes!

Workshop 6
Pedestrian Safety: Influencing Behavior Through Engineering Safety
(C) Meeting Room 205
More than any other discipline, pedestrian safety is influenced by engineering. Preeminent pedestrian safety engineers will challenge traditional pedestrian safety concepts by sharing cutting edge and creative engineering techniques to influence driver behavior and improve pedestrian safety.

Moderator:

• Bob Dallas, Governor’s Representative and Director, Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Atlanta, Ga.

Speakers:

• Dan Burden, Principal and Senior Urban Designer, Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, Inc. and Co-Founder and Executive Director, Walkable Communities, Inc., Orlando, Fla.
• Michael Ronkin, Principal, Designing Streets for Pedestrians and Bicyclists, Salem, Ore.
• Michael Weiner, Traffic Engineering Director, City of Savannah, Savannah, Ga.

General Session
(C) Chatham Ballroom C

Moderator:

• Lowell Porter, GHSA Vice Chairman, Governor’s Representative and Director, Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Olympia, Wash.

Speakers:

Dr. Grant Baldwin
Director, Unintentional Injury Division
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta, Ga.
Bio

Peter Kissinger
President and CEO
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Washington, D.C.
Bio

Workshop 7
Multicultural Outreach Done Right
(C) Room 203
Are your lifesaving messages being lost on some populations because you haven’t communicated them effectively? With our nation’s growing and diverse population, it is vital to address the needs of all communities. This workshop will focus on the requirements of NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights and the resources being developed to ensure that safety messages are being heard and understood by all roadway users.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Tina O’Grady, Administrator, Ohio Traffic Safety Office, Columbus, Ohio

Speakers:

• Craig Borne, External Civil Rights Manager, NHTSA, Washington, D.C.
• Irwin Goldzweig, Director, Meharry-State Farm Alliance, Nashville, Tenn.

Workshop 8
Traffic Records Performance Measures Listening Session
(C) Room 204
Earlier this year, NHTSA funded a project to develop a minimum set of performance measures states can use in their traffic records planning processes and with their Section 408 data improvement grant applications. Presenters at this workshop will provide a brief overview of the proposed performance measures and then open the floor for comments and questions.

Presenters:

• Barbara Harsha, Executive Director, GHSA, Washington, D.C.
• Jim Hedlund, Principal, Highway Safety North, Ithaca, N.Y.
• Marilena Amoni, Associate Administrator, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, NHTSA, Washington, D.C.

Workshop 9
Rural Highways Don’t Have to be Dieways
(C) Room 205
Two-thirds of all U.S. traffic deaths in 2008 occurred on rural roads. With fatality rates two to four times higher than comparable urban roads, it is imperative that rural road safety be front and center to have a meaningful impact on reducing fatalities nationwide.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Bob Thompson, Program Evaluator, Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, Iowa Department of Safety, Des Moines, Iowa

Speakers:

• Lee Munnich, Director, Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
• John Miller, Safety Engineer, Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City, Mo.

Workshop 10
Where Did All My Reporters Go? Getting Media Coverage in an Age of Cutbacks
(C) Meeting Room 203
The changing economy is impacting media and their coverage of all kinds of issues, including highway safety. How can highway safety communicators still gain valuable coverage? This workshop will explore the shifting sands of media coverage and discuss new and innovative strategies to get out the highway safety message.

Moderator:

• Andrea Summers, GHSA Strategic Communications Committee Chairman and Community Relations Officer, Delaware Office of Highway Safety, Dover, Del.

Speakers:

• Susan Gorcowski, Associate Administrator, Office of Communications and Consumer Information, NHTSA, Washington, D.C.
• Larry Copeland, USA Today Reporter/Atlanta Bureau, Smyrna, Ga.
• David Harris, Interim Director, New Mexico Traffic Safety Bureau, Santa Fe, N.M.
• Janet Dewey-Kollen, Contractor, New Mexico Traffic Safety Bureau, Santa Fe, N.M.
• Nathan Bowie, Information Officer, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, St. Paul, Minn.

Workshop 11
Promising Strategies Targeting DWI
(C) Meeting Room 204
This workshop will focus on several promising strategies being used around the country to target DWI offenders. These include blood search warrants in Texas, New York’s impaired driving task force, Hawaii’s Opportunity Program with enforcement, and South Dakota’s 24/7 program combined with drug and DWI courts.

Moderator:

• Terry Pence, Traffic Safety Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin, Texas

Speakers:

• Clay Abbott, DWI Resource Prosecutor, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, Austin, Texas
• Rod MacDonald, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) of the State University of New York at Albany, Albany, N.Y.
• Stephen Talpins, Chief Executive Officer, National Partnership on Alcohol Misuse and Crime, Alexandria, Va.

Workshop 12
Getting Aggressive with Motorcycle Safety
(C) Meeting Room 205
This workshop will focus on successful motorcycle safety initiatives, data connectivity and licensing as well as how to maximize results of a motorcycle safety assessment.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Marianne Trussell, Chief Safety Officer, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, Fla.

Speakers:

• Lorrie Laing, Associate, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Blacklick, Ohio
• Brett Robinson, Vice President, Highway Safety Services, LLC, Indiana, Pa.

Workshop 13
A Culture of Speeding: The Great American Pastime
(C) Meeting Room 203
Excessive speed continues to be the number one factor involved in aggressive driving. This workshop will highlight recent research on aggressive driving and speed, federal efforts utilizing social norming campaigns to mitigate speed, and a state approach to effective speed enforcement programs.

Moderator:

• Michael Stout, Governor’s Representative and Director, Division of Traffic Safety, Illinois Department of Transportation, Springfield, Ill.

Speakers:

• Brian Tefft, Senior Research Associate, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Washington, D.C.
• Susan Gorcowski, Associate Administrator, Office of Communications and Consumer Information, NHTSA, Washington, D.C.
• Ricky Rich, Special Operations Division Director, Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Atlanta, Ga.

Workshop 14
Blending Engineering and Behavior Strategies to Reduce Traffic Deaths
(C) Meeting Room 204
This workshop will provide an overview of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan process which lays a foundation for addressing traffic safety goals using both the engineering and behavioral approaches in a coordinated manner. Speakers will highlight tools they have used in states to effectively blend the engineering and behavioral strategies to reduce traffic deaths.

Moderator:

• Mary Hunter, Highway Safety Manager, Idaho Transportation Department, Boise, Idaho

Speakers:

• Tamiko Burnell, Transportation Specialist, Office of Safety, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Washington, D.C.
• David Beach, Highway Safety Office Director, Utah Department of Public Safety, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Lowell Porter, Governor’s Representative and Director, Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Olympia, Wash.

Workshop 15
What’s Driving Distracted Driving?
(C) Meeting Room 205
This workshop will highlight new research, a noteworthy policy position, law enforcement challenges, and recent state legislative activities addressing different forms of distracted driving.

Moderator:

• Lauren Stewart, Director, Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, Augusta, Maine

Speakers:

• Anne McCartt, Senior Vice President for Research, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlington, Va.
• John Ulczycki, Group Vice President – Research, Communications & Advocacy, National Safety Council, Itasca, Ill.
• Melissa Savage, Program Director, Energy, Environment and Transportation, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Denver, Colo.
• Vince Talucci, Director, Division of State and Provincial Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Alexandria, Va.

Reauthorization General Session
(C) Meeting Rooms 201 - 202
This session will be conducted as a roundtable. Participants will review the House Transportation and Infrastructure bill, discuss the outlook for the future and review the reauthorization positions of key highway safety partners.

Moderator:

• Barbara Harsha, Executive Director, GHSA, Washington, D.C.

Speakers:

• Brian McLaughlin, Senior Associate Administrator, Traffic Injury Control, NHTSA, Washington, D.C.
• Joe Toole, Associate Administrator for Safety, FHWA, Washington, D.C.
• Tony Kane, Director, Engineering and Technical Services, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Washington, D.C.
• Vince Talucci, Director, Division of State and Provincial Police, IACP, Alexandria, Va.

Closing Luncheon and General Session
(W) Grand Ballrooms A & B
Sponsored by Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc.

Master of Ceremonies:

• Michael Stout, GHSA Treasurer and Director, Division of Traffic Safety, Illinois Department of Transportation, Springfield, Ill.

Presentation of the James J. Howard Highway Safety Trailblazer Award

Luncheon Speaker:

Tom Vanderbilt
Author of Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do
(and What It Says About Us)
New York, N.Y.
Bio