Traffic Safety Specialist

16' Mobile Homes
Discussion of 16’ mobile homes has been an on-going issue since August 1992 and continues to be an endeavor that the Department has a great deal of interest in, especially as related to the safe transportation of this commodity on our highways. It is anticipated that this will continue to be an on-going issue within the Department as there will be a need to monitor and regulate the industry in relation to the safe movement of these mobile homes.
Workplan

Bicycle & Pedestrian Clearinghouse
Currently there are many initiatives, projects, etc. within the Traffic Engineering & Safety Systems Branch, The Department, various universities and other agencies and organizations across the state that are focused on Bicycle and Pedestrian related activities. At the present time, there is no centralized point of contact for coordination of these activities to assist in the dissemination of information. This project will develop and maintain an information ‘clearing house’ for bicycle and pedestrian related activities, initiatives and projects within North Carolina.
Workplan

Law Enforcement Activities
North Carolina’s law enforcement community often relies upon the Traffic Safety Systems Management Unit (TSSMU) to provide data, statistics, maps or other assistance in helping them achieve their goals and mission. The TSSMU can often provide engineering expertise to these agencies that they typically would not have on staff or possibly other access to. This project is open-ended and may involve cooperation with the State Highway Patrol, any one of the over 500 local municipal police departments or any one of the 100 county sheriff departments in the state as well as providing these same services to law enforcement agencies outside of North Carolina on a requested basis.
Workplan

Wildlife Liaison
Each year in North Carolina, there are approximately 14,000 animal/vehicle related crashes that result in an average of $30 million in property damage. In October 2002, the Traffic Safety Systems Management Unit (TSSMU) provided the NCDOT Board of Transportation’s Safety and Emerging Issues Subcommittee with a presentation on the animal/vehicle crash problem in our state along with potential countermeasures that are available, the costs and the advantages/disadvantages of each. (More information ....)
Workplan

Motorcycle Safety Issues
Motorcycle safety continues to be a pressing issue in North Carolina. Over the past ten (10) years, motorcycle involved injuries have increased by 18% while related fatalities have increased by 44%. Although motorcycles only account for 1.3% of all registered vehicles in North Carolina, they account for nearly 5% of all fatalities on our highways each year. The Traffic Safety Specialist will be responsible for working with DOT management and legislators by providing them with data, statistics, and research in support of motorcycle safety related issues and will also be an active participant in the North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Work Group that was formed in August 2002 in an effort to reduce motorcycle involved injuries and fatalities.
Workplan

Identification and Alleviation of Hazardous Utility Poles - Phase I
There are over 80 million utility poles nationwide on public right of way that result in 1,100 deaths and approximately 40,000 serious injuries each year. Collectively, these collisions represent an annual cost to society of $5 billion. Utility pole collisions are the second most frequent and the most severe of all fixed object collisions involving a man-made obstacle, and are nearly six times more likely to result in a fatality and three times more likely to result in an injury than any other highway collision. Statistics show that approximately 80% of utility pole collisions are frontal impacts and the remaining 20% are side impacts, which are generally more severe and frequently result in fatalities. Drivers involved in these collisions are very likely to be injured while passengers are very likely to be killed. (More information ....)
Workplan

Executive Committee for Highway Safety
Although great strides have been made to reduce the number of traffic crash fatalities and injuries in North Carolina, there continues to be a demand for increased multidisciplinary efforts to meet our growing highway safety needs. While many effective safety programs have been implemented by engineering, enforcement, education and emergency response agencies in our state, we still continue to experience epidemic level losses on our highways each year. In 2001, there were over 217,000 reported motor vehicle crashes that resulted in 1,530 fatalities and over 134,000 injuries. (More information ....)