Fredericksburg, Va. (April 17, 2023) – The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Traffic Control Devices invite students to compete in the 2024 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 “Innovations to Improve the Nighttime Visibility of Traffic Control Devices.”

Fatalities in roadway work zones increased nearly 11% from 2020 to 2021, with deaths rising from 863 to 956, according to newly released federal data.

Drivers and passengers accounted for 778 of the 956 fatalities for 2021, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) shows.

“The continuing increase in work zone fatalities drives home the importance of National Work Zone Awareness Week, which begins on Monday,” said ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner. “We encourage every driver to be vigilant as they approach work zones and travel through them. This time of year sees a surge in work zones on the nation’s roadways so it’s important for everyone to recognize they play a role in work zone safety and to work with us.”

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (April 5, 2023) – The recent tragedy near Baltimore, Md., where six roadway workers were killed when one vehicle apparently collided with another before crashing into their work zone demonstrates the tremendous risk workers face each day while seeking to earn a living.

“These six individuals went to work that day simply to do their part to provide safe highways for the motoring public. But they didn’t make it home to their families, who are now left to grieve as they face life without them,” said ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner. “The roadway safety industry does its best to provide safe workspaces for its personnel and continually looks for new strategies to prevent such tragedies but the fact is, everyone plays a role in work zone safety and we need everyone to work with us.”

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) was established more than two decades ago to increase attention to the need for motorists to exercise caution when approaching and passing through roadway work zones. In 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 857 people were killed in work zones with another 44,240 injured, according to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.

Carolinas ATSSA Chapter members Ben Capel and Dane Alsabrook, have been making a difference for roadway safety for years by taking their message directly to Capitol Hill legislators during ATSSA’s Legislative Briefing & Fly-In.

Join them in the nation’s capital this year and play a role in advocating for roadway safety through meetings with your senator, representative or a member of their staff.

Alsabrook, with PPG in Greensboro, N.C., said he is sold on the process of delivering the roadway safety message directly to Congressional leaders. And Capel, with Guardway Corp. in Charlotte, said long-term connections are key to gaining influence with lawmakers.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner expressed his condolences to the families who lost loved ones in last week’s tragic work zone incident in Baltimore County, Md., in which six people were killed.

“ATSSA is deeply saddened by yet another tragedy that resulted in the loss of essential workers within our industry.  More important than being workers, these individuals had families and loved ones they did not return home to. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of Sybil Lee Dimaggio, Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, Jose Armando Escobar, Rolando Ruiz, Mahlon Simmons II and Mahlon Simmons III.”

The six workers were killed March 22 in Maryland while working to improve a roadway and ensure the safety of all road users. 

“This devastating event serves as a stark reminder of the importance of work zone safety and the risks faced by roadway construction workers every day. It is crucial that the industry and the driving public come together to prevent future tragedies like this one from occurring,” Tetschner said.