When ATSSA members arrive in Phoenix for the 2023 Convention & Traffic Expo in February they will find themselves in a city that’s made a name for itself as a pioneer in the testing of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. The region has embraced the technology and seen multiple pilots for grocery delivery as well as a driverless taxi service.

The Fall issue of Roadway Safety magazine—available online now—details these efforts in Arizona and reveals a resource for members to remove the fear factor from contract negotiations, offers members’ take on the value of in-person advocacy and explains how ATSSA’s ITS Team keeps pace with innovation.

An entire supplement is devoted to roadway worker protection and spells out efforts underway to improve worker safety from multiple perspectives.

Both issues are online now.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is hosting a webinar on “Maintaining Minimum Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity” to discuss the final rule published in the Federal Register on Aug. 5.

The Sept. 1 webinar starts at 12:30 p.m. ET, is free for the public but requires advance registration.

Organizers said the final rule published on Aug. 5 amends the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), adding provisions for minimum maintained levels of pavement marking retroreflectivity in Revision 3 of the 2009 MUTCD.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) posted the final rule regarding pavement marking retroreflectivity in today’s Federal Register.

The posting states: “The purpose of this final rule is to update the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to provide standards, guidance, options, and supporting information relating to maintaining minimum levels of retroreflectivity for pavement markings. The MUTCD is incorporated in FHWA regulations and recognized as the national standard for traffic control devices used on all streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public travel.”

The rule notes that it is effective on Sept. 6.

For many departments of transportation (DOTs), the collection and sending of real-time traffic data to roadway users is high priority. One way agencies nationwide are achieving this goal is through the use of sensor technology in roadway infrastructure, such as pavement markings or signs, allowing them to strengthen Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication. 

Over the past two decades, as researchers have gained more knowledge about driver visibility needs and aging driver population trends, some transportation agencies have begun to use longitudinal pavement markings that are wider than the 4-inch minimum for standard centerline, edge line, or lane line applications. This report describes a project with two primary activities. The first activity was identifying the current use of wider markings among transportation agencies in the United States, Canada, and other countries. The second activity was a review of the technical literature related to wider markings, with a particular emphasis on
previous studies of the costs and benefits of using wider markings. This research report summarizes the significant findings from the project.

ATSSA members work on the front lines of traffic safety. They make roads safer by installing modern roadway safety devices and protecting workers during the road construction process. ATSSA members also work to reduce the number and severity of roadway crashes. According to federal statistics, each year motor vehicle crashes claim 42,000 lives and injure 3,000,000 people, incurring $230.6 billion in societal costs and $21 billion in direct taxpayer costs. The International Union of Police Associations says that more police officers die in motor vehicle crashes every year than by criminals’ bullets. According to AASHTO’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, unless there is a change in crash rates, six out of 10 children born today will be injured in motor vehicle crashes during their lifetime, and one in 84 will die violently on roadways. 

Approximately 3,500 people die every month on our nation’s roadways. The increased tax burden from these crashes for taxpayers is nearly $14 billion with societal costs well over $150 billion. ATSSA’s proposal to invest $3 billion a year to enhance the nation’s roadway safety infrastructure is a sound investment that will pay for itself in reduced crashes. In addition, the funding mechanisms put in place to fund the Roadway Safety Program would provide much needed additional revenue to enhance the capacity of our nation’s transportation system. We look forward to taking these proposals to Congress and the American people to get their support for improving our roadway safetysystem and making “Safer Roads - Save Lives” a reality.