If you couldn’t tune in yesterday, you can now watch ATSSA’s second Town Hall in which we heard from ATSSA staff, a master instructor and two members who have been using the online training resources.

“Innovations in Online Training to Keep Your Employees Engaged" covered the many options ATSSA now offers for training and the changes implemented to meet members’ needs after social distancing guidelines and travel restrictions related to COVID-19 limited the opportunity for in-person classes.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner sent letters to Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao this week strongly endorsing the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s letter committing to fully utilize the bands of spectrum allocated for transportation safety.

“The commitment undertaken by the Auto Innovators reflects a watershed moment for roadway safety. This letter demonstrates a unified industry committing substantial resources and support for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). This approach should dispel any notion that the industry will not deploy V2X or that the Safety Spectrum will not be used,” Tetschner wrote.

With social distancing in place and travel to training sites hindered, how can you keep your team equipped for their duties as essential workers in a critical industry?

ATSSA’s next Town Hall brings together industry leaders and ATSSA team members to discuss how The Association has pivoted to meet members’ training and certification needs in unprecedented times.

The April 28 session on “Innovations in Online Training to Keep Your Employees Engaged" includes a demonstration of virtual training and insights from ATSSA Master Instructor Eric Perry, who also serves as The Association’s director of innovation and technical services.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (April 22, 2020) – The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) celebrates “Go Orange Day” today, which is the midpoint of National Work Zone Awareness Week, an event that emphasizes the need for diligence when approaching roadway work zones.

While most people remain at home and off the roads because of COVID-19 precautions, ATSSA members and departments of transportation across the country are busy making roadway repairs and taking other steps to advance roadway safety infrastructure. In some states, road projects are accelerating to take advantage of the light traffic.

As National Work Zone Awareness Week begins, the National Transportation Safety Board announced two safety recommendations have been implemented as a result of prior work zone crashes that caused fatalities.

One involved a tractor-trailer that started a chain-reaction collision on Interstate 95 in New Jersey. The other involved a train that struck a backhoe in Pennsylvania. 

ATSSA and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Traffic Control Devices have launched the 2021 Traffic Control Device (TCD) Student Challenge.

The TCD Student Challenge promotes innovation and stimulates ideas in the traffic control devices industry with a goal to improve operations and safety and encourage future generations of roadway safety professionals. As part of the challenge, individuals or student teams submit solutions in the subject area of transportation and roadway safety, based on the chosen topic for the year.

This year’s topic is “Innovative Traffic Control Device Strategies for Speed Management on Limited Access Freeways.”

National Work Zone Awareness Week begins Monday and though people across the country aren’t using the roads nearly as much these days because of COVID-19, roadway workers are still out there. Their work is deemed essential and continues to put them at risk.

This annual event, which runs from April 20-24, highlights the risks to roadway workers and seeks to heighten attention to common issues such as distracted driving, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said claimed the lives of 2,841 people in 2018 and comes down to three problems: taking our eyes off the road, our hands off the wheel, and our minds off of driving.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner says in a video statement that we can put an end to work zone accidents but that means we must all do our part.

It’s not too late to catch ATSSA’s first virtual Town Hall on the state and federal response to COVID-19 and potential infrastructure investments. A recording is now available of Tuesday’s one-hour session featuring Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, and AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon. 

The virtual Town Hall is a new feature for members. The next topic is "Innovations in Online Training to Keep Your Employees Engaged" and will be held Aprtil 28 at 2 p.m.

Registration is now open for ATSSA's debut virtual Town Hall to be held this Tuesday. ATSSA’s new President & CEO Stacy Tetschner and ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations Nate Smith will be joined by AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon and U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., who serves on the Ways and Means Committee.

The conversation will focus on the state and federal response to COVID-19 and potential infrastructure investments. 

With restrictions imposed by the government for social distancing, ATSSA has quickly responded with two new options to enable members to continue meeting their training needs.

ATSSA now offers virtual training for the Traffic Control Technician (TCT) and Traffic Control Supervisor (TCS) courses. In addition, The Association launched a new online workplace training curriculum that is offered totally online and covers human resources and workplace safety topics.