The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) needs an update, and ATSSA is playing a major role in the process. The current edition of the roadway safety infrastructure industry’s guide to keeping drivers and roadway workers safe was published in 2009.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (September 13, 2019) – The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) launched the Retroreflectivity for Sign Inspectors course, which is available in an online training format. 

More than 300 ATSSA members convened in San Diego, California for the association’s 2019 Midyear Meeting, where they participated in committee and council meetings, established a Traffic Signals Committee, met with the Automotive Safety Council (ASC), and raised funds for legislative advocacy efforts and the ATSS Foundation.

Hero and icon. This is how ATSSA member Marty Weed was known and has been remembered in the roadway safety industry since he passed away in December 2018. Marty left a legacy. It started when he worked with ATSSA, The ATSS Foundation, and his friends and colleagues to establish the Marty Weed Engineering Scholarship in 2018. The funding provides ten years’ worth of scholarships to new engineers at public agencies to attend ATSSA’s Annual Convention and Traffic Expo.

National work zone statistics for fatalities demonstrate a critical need for training roadway safety workers. From 2016 to 2017, fatalities in work zones increased from 782 to 799 – a 2 percent increase, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) website.

Every roadway countermeasure makes a difference. Roundabouts, highly reflective signs, pavement markings and all traffic control and infrastructure devices are critical to enhancing safety on U.S. roadways. Countermeasures can mitigate against human behavior-related crashes and ultimately save lives.  

ATSSA is cultivating the roadway safety infrastructure industry’s future leaders through a Young Industry Professionals (YIP) community.
Introduced at ATSSA’s 49th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, the initiative includes a task force of professionals under the age of 40, identifying ways to broaden their network and inspire innovative thinking.

ATSSA is now accepting nominations for the association’s National Media Award. The annual award is presented for informative and balanced reporting on the transportation and roadway safety industry. In 2020, ATSSA will mark its 8th year of honoring the winning candidate and nationally recognizing their efforts, which highlight the importance of roadway safety in the United States.

In recent years, there has been an uptick in collaboration between entities within the roadway safety infrastructure and automotive industries as Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) technologies progress and enter U.S. roadways. In a sweeping effort to ensure traffic control devices and roadway infrastructure effectively support the Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) of CAVs, manufacturers and groups like the Automotive Safety Council, 3M, SAE International, and ATSSA are working together to uncover the gaps in information and needs to help these vehicles perform at an optimum level. 

ATSSA has been providing roadway safety training for nearly 50 years, and we are not stopping there. This year, ATSSA will roll out new courses on sign retroreflectivity to further serve individuals in the roadway safety infrastructure industry. These online training courses will add to ATSSA’s wide range of existing course modules, which include flagger training, guardrail and barrier installation and maintenance, high friction surface treatment, roadway paving and maintenance, pedestrian safety, and temporary traffic control.