The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Traffic Control Devices (ACP55) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) have joined together to sponsor and conduct the exciting design competition, the Traffic Control Device (TCD) Student Challenge, to promote innovation and stimulate ideas in the traffic control devices area with a goal to improve operations and safety.

2023 Theme: Innovative Traffic Control Devices to Improve Vulnerable Road User Safety

Guidelines for Participation

The TCD Student Challenge is open to individual students or teams of students from high school, junior college, student college or university (graduate or undergraduate) who have an interest in transportation and an understanding of traffic control devices. Students in relevant fields such as transportation-, human factors-, and technology- related curricula are particularly encouraged to participate.

The TCD Student Challenge submittals will help to encourage innovation and creative thought in the transportation community. Contest participants will receive the opportunity to vet their designs in a public forum during the TRB Annual Meeting. Up to three winning submissions will receive additional recognition and be invited to the ATSSA Convention & Traffic Expo.

Problem Statement

The theme for the 2023 TCD Student Challenge is: Innovative Traffic Control Devices to Improve Vulnerable Road User Safety. Vulnerable road users include pedestrians, bicyclists and micromobility users. From 1996 to 2020, the proportion of traffic fatalities involving persons outside of a motor vehicle has increased from a low to 20% to a high of 34%. While various safety measures exist to help protect vulnerable road users, the statistics show there is still work to be done in this area. The objective for the 2023 TCD Student Challenge is to devise an innovative traffic control device to improve vulnerable road user safety, which can be addressed for intersections or non-intersections, urban or rural environments, and any type of roadway.

Applications were due Oct. 1, 2022, the submission process is now closed.

The application for the 2024 challenge will be available in April 2023.