2022 TZD Conference Presentations

General Sessions

Opening Remarks

Speakers: Mike Hanson, Minnesota TZD Program Co-chair and Director, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Colonel Matt Langer, TZD Leadership and Chief, Minnesota State Patrol; and Leah Walton, Safety Advocate, National Transportation Safety Board

Take Action Now: What YOU Can Do to Create a Culture of Wellness in Your Agency (and in Yourself)!

This session explored how you, as traffic safety stakeholders, can take your personal and organizational wellness to the next level to perform (and feel) your best! Community expectations for healthy public servants are rising; given the current demands, it is vital that organizations first create a constructive culture INSIDE their departments to build the trust they want to see outside with the community. And here’s the key: this shift can start with anyone inside the department.

Speakers: Amber Peterson, Managing Partner, Peterson & Perme Associates; Mike Goldstein, Retired Public Safety Director and Plymouth (MN) Police Chief, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; and Mary Schauf, Retired Captain of the Training Team, Madison (WI) Police Department

Concurrent Sessions

Session 1: Investigating Alcohol Overservice and Discovering Real Solutions for Your Community

This session was designed to help your community find real solutions for alcohol overservice and alcohol-related issues. Attendees learned techniques for investigating alcohol overservice crimes, how to track the origins of these incidents, and how to work with your communities and establishments to reduce the number of incidents.

Speakers: Sgt. Adam Moore, South Lake Minnetonka Police Department, and Sheila Nesbitt, North Memorial Health

Session 3: Building Knowledge of CAV and Driverless Technology to Increase Safety on Our Roadways

This session highlighted work being done by Minnesota’s Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) Innovation Alliance Education and Outreach Committee. Presenters shared why safety is a core message for CAV and why it’s important to align CAV information throughout the state. Attendees also heard what Minnesotans said about safety and CAV in a statewide survey and learned key messaging partners can use. Additionally, presenters shared plans for 2022 and 2023 CAV demonstration work and discussed the importance of educating people about technology to make roads safer for all users.

Speakers: Thomas Johnson-Kaiser, Office of Connected and Automated Vehicles, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Katie Caskey, HDR; and Gina Baas, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota

Session 4: Roadway Safety Features—Are They Working?

This rapid-fire session provided quick overviews of recent safety evaluations for flashing yellow arrows, reduced-conflict intersections, high-tension cable barriers, rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, pedestrians at roundabouts, school-zone speed limits, and high-friction surface treatments. Presenters shared the findings of these evaluations and the impacts these features are having on crashes on the state’s roadways.

Speakers: Maxwell Moreland, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Mark Wagner, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation; and Vic Lund, St. Louis County Public Works

Session 5: Complete Streets—Serving All Users Safely

Participants learned how to apply a Complete Streets approach to design roadways that serve all users safely. The session provided foundational information about what it means to apply a Complete Streets approach and how Complete Streets connects to the safe system approach. Attendees also learned about MnDOT’s updated Complete Streets Policy and what they can expect, along with best practices and lessons learned from project case studies in Minnesota.

Speakers: Nissa Tupper, Office of Sustainability and Public Health, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Sonja Piper, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation; and Chris Bower, Metro District, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Session 6: Techniques to Address Equity in Traffic Safety

This session focused on incorporating equity into your transportation safety projects. First, attendees heard from Hennepin County about the value of contracting directly with community-based experts on project design. Since 2020, the Metro Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit (BLRT) project has contracted with 15 community and cultural groups from environmental justice communities. Presenters shared contracting methods and outcome highlights. Then, attendees learned data analysis tips and tricks to inform and promote equitable transportation outcomes—from equity analysis to inform more inclusive engagement to new ways to think about, communicate, and prioritize equitable solutions more likely to rely on walking, biking, and public transportation.

Speakers: Joan M. Vanhala, Hennepin County Community and Engagement Services; Chelsea Moore-Ritchie, SEH Engineering; and Kristin Petersen, SEH Engineering

Session 7: Trains, Motorcycles, and ATVs—What Are We Seeing on Our Roads?

The uptick in deaths on our roads has come not only from cars: other forms of transportation are also seeing a rise in crashes. In this session, participants heard about concerns with motorcycles, ATVs, and trains and learned what communities are doing to help prevent crashes. Speakers also highlighted Minnesota trends and shared information about trains, motorcycles, and ATVs.

Speakers: Sheryl Cummings, Minnesota Operation Lifesaver; Jay Bock, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Lt. Brent Speldrich, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Chief Darren Juntunen, Moose Lake Police Department; and Becky Putzke, Northwest Law Enforcement Liaison, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Session 9: Traffic Safety and Equity

This session highlighted trends in Minnesota’s crash and health data with respect to equity, discussed equity-related themes showing up in traffic safety research conducted at the University of Minnesota, and shared details of a recently developed multicultural driver education program.

Speakers: Dr. Catherine Diamond, Injury and Violence Prevention Section, Minnesota, Department of Health; Dr. Nichole Morris, HumanFIRST Lab, University of Minnesota; and Mark Griffith, South Central Minnesota EMS System

Session 11: Why Reinvent the Wheel When You Can Partner with a Traffic Safety Advocate?!

This session was designed to help your community find real solutions for alcohol overservice and alcohol-related issues. Attendees learned techniques for investigating alcohol overservice crimes, how to track the origins of these incidents, and how to work with your communities and establishments to reduce the number of incidents.

Speakers: Tara Helm, West Metro TZD Regional Coordinator, and Beth Brisky, Washington County Public Health and Environment

Session 13: Making Safe System a Reality—Planning to Implementation

The Safe System approach is founded on the principles that people make mistakes and that human bodies have a limited ability to tolerate crash impacts. Another key principle in the Safe System approach is shared responsibility, which means that all the “E’s” can (and should) be involved. This presentation offered a summary of the Safe System approach, examined practical methods of what can be done in each of the 4E domains, and discussed local perspectives and ideas—the application of which will help reach the goal of zero deaths in Minnesota.

Speakers: Ken Johnson, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Vic Lund, St. Louis County Public Works; and Brad Estochen, Ramsey County

Session 14: BCA Impaired Driving Services

In this session, BCA personnel provided updates about eCharging and DWI testing. Representatives from the BCA Lab discussed trends in drug testing, marijuana impairment, and breath alcohol testing and provided an overview of the involved processes of toxicology testing. The differences in eCharging procedures and lab testing when processing a criminal vehicular operation/homicide investigation were also discussed. In addition, attendees had the opportunity to ask BCA chemists about the toxicology testing processes.

Speakers: Troy Woltman, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Mike Asleson, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Brent Nelson, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Forensic Science Services, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; and Vanessa Perez, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Forensic Science Services, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Session 15: Medical Marijuana—and Don’t Drive When Taking This…Herbal??!!

Medical marijuana and many over-the-counter herbal supplements can cause effects similar to prescription medications that carry the warning “Do not drive when taking this drug.” Many people think these “drugs” are harmless. This session identified several of the herbal supplements that can affect mental status and, thus, driving.

Speakers: Sgt. Tyler Milless, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and Dr. Joan Somes, Emergency Nurses Association

Session 16: Death Notification and Beyond—Working with Victims and Families from Crash through Trial

DWI, CVO, and CVH are violent crimes. This means working with victims and families who are injured or who have lost loved ones. This session offered a real-world discussion about how to work with victims beyond the death notification, partner with them throughout the case and trial, and prepare them for the courtroom. What words can you say? What words should you never say? What is required by the victim rights statutes, Minn. Stat. 611A? The session explored these and other questions.

Speakers: Joanne Thomka, National District Attorneys Association, and Don Marose, Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Session 17: Work Zone Promising Practices

Crashes in work zones are a significant cause of traumatic death and serious injury, both to the traveling public and to the workers within the work zone. This presentation gave an overview of some promising best practices on the cusp of deployment.

Speakers: Michelle Moser, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Jed Falgren, Office of Maintenance, Minnesota Department of Transportation; and Steve Blaufuss, Office of Maintenance, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Session 19: The Impact of Speed and How Minnesota is Addressing the Problem

As traffic fatalities climbed in 2020 and 2021, speed became a leading contributing factor. Speakers highlighted some successful speed enforcement projects employed during this time, addressed the challenges of speed enforcement, and presented speed fatality data and possible engineering solutions.

Speakers: Mike Hanson, Minnesota TZD Program Co-chair, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Ken Johnson, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation; and Major Joe Dwyer, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Session 20: How Using IPAWS Can Increase Traffic Safety and Improve Awareness and Communications During Unexpected Road Closures

How do we get the message out to a driver traveling from Montana to Wisconsin who is using Apple maps, listening to Sirius Radio, and unfamiliar with the region that a winter storm is impacting visibility and road conditions? Participants in this session learned how Integrated Public Alert and Warning Systems (IPAWS) can connect with more people and get important emergency messages out regarding road closures, no-travel advisories, and other civil emergencies.

Speaker: John Dooley, Emergency Communication Networks, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Session 21: Worried about an Aging Driver? Considerations, Options, and Actions to Increase Their Safety

An increasing amount of information about screening drivers for physical and cognitive changes that affect driving has come out in recent years. This session offered a brief look at the screening tools, what these tools screens for, how occupational therapists and driving rehab specialists can further evaluate drivers, and what options they recommend.

Speakers: Dr. Joan Somes, Emergency Nurses Association, and Ann Forrest-Clark, St. Luke’s Hospital Duluth

Session 22: Crash Data and the Tools to Get Data

CrashMART, MnCMAT, MNCRASH—Ever wonder what these different crash tools do? Crash data experts demonstrated and explained how to use these tools in addition to a new crash severity assessment tool for law enforcement to use when filling out a crash report. Presenters also discussed new software MnDOT is exploring that uses speeding analytics to help agencies identify and rank regional speeding hotspots.

Speakers: Allison Hawley, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Maxwell Moreland, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation; and Dr. Nichole Morris, HumanFIRST Lab, University of Minnesota

Session 23: NHTSA Curriculum Updates

Attendees learned about the most recent updates for the SFST, ARIDE, and DRE released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Several big changes have been made, and this session taught attendees the newest curriculum for the programs.

Speaker: Sgt. Tyler Milless, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Session 25: Teens Teaming Up for Safer Minnesota Roads

When Mom or Dad talk, kids often hear, “Blah, blah, blah…” no matter the message. We’ve learned that statistics or blood and gore don’t change teens’ driving behavior, either. But when their friends talk, they listen. This session featured several Minnesota teens taking a positive social norming approach to influence their peers and make a difference. Attendees also heard from the Shreya R. Dixit Foundation’s student interns, who researched younger driver awareness programs throughout the U.S. and the world that resulted in recommendations for Minnesota.

Speakers: Kendal Rantanen and Olivia Hempel, Thief River Falls Key Club: Teens Toward Zero Deaths; Sgt. Geoffrey Dowty, Sherburne County Safe Roads Coalition/Sherburne, County Sheriff’s Office; and Aarushi Vyas and Darren Tanubrata, Shreya R. Dixit Foundation Distraction-Free Life Club, Eden Prairie High School

Session 27: Personal Energy Management and Mindset Resilience—Driving Factors of Satisfaction and Effectiveness in Public Safety

As an extension of the October 13 opening plenary, participants learned more about enhancing personal energy management and fortifying a resilient mindset, regardless of the cultural expectations they may be experiencing.

Speakers: Amber Peterson, Peterson & Perme Associates; Mike Goldstein, Retired Public Safety Director and Plymouth (MN) Police Chief, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; and Mary Schauf, Retired Captain of the Training Team, Madison (WI) Police Department

Session 28: Telling the Crash Story—Multiple Data Sets Complete the Picture

This session reviewed the different data sources available regarding the impact of motor vehicle crashes on Minnesotans. The review was followed by a discussion of the results of combining these sources and the potential policy and programmatic implications.

Speakers: Allison Hawley, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Deb Syverson, Sanford Health; Anna Gaichas, Injury and Violence Prevention Section, Minnesota Department of Health; and Nathan Drews, Office of Safety and Operations Management, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Session 29: Tackling Impaired Driving through the Ignition Interlock Program

Impaired driving continues to be a contributing factor in far too many fatal and serious-injury crashes. This session provided an overview of the ignition interlock program, touched upon how the 2021 legislative changes impacted the program, and provided perspectives from the judicial system around impaired driving.

Speakers: Heather Lopez, Office of Driver and Vehicle Services, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and Judge Kerry Meyer, Minnesota State Judicial Outreach Liaison, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Session 31: Minnesota’s Drug Crisis—Where Are We Now?

This session took a deep look into Minnesota’s ever-growing rate of drug use among its residents. Attendees learned about commonly mixed drugs, how they affect the body, how they create a danger behind the wheel, and how an officer can detect an impaired driver. Presenters also offered a look at the change in statistics related to drug use in the state.

Speaker: Sgt. Tyler Milless, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Session 32: Crash and Burn—Caring for Patients and Providers after Fiery Crashes

When a vehicle catches fire after a crash, the situation can quickly turn life-threatening for the vehicle occupants and their rescuers. Many burn victims sustain skin damage that requires extensive surgeries, lengthy hospital stays, and painful rehabilitation. Severe burn injuries may change the quality of life, mobility, or the way a victim is able to complete daily tasks. For some, the injuries result in death.

Speakers: Dr. Nick Simpson, Hennepin Healthcare, and Jake LaFerriere, Firefighters for Healing

Session 34: Implementing an In-Patient Car Seat Consult Service—Providing Equitable Access to Critical Safety Education and Resources

This presentation outlined the process involved in developing and implementing an in-patient car seat consult service to serve the Regions Hospital Family Birth Center while providing cross coverage to the ER, Trauma, and Burn units. Patient and staff feedback was collected along with comparative demographic data between caregivers receiving education while in the Family Birth Center and caregivers receiving education from attending a community-based car seat clinic; these data were shared as well.

Speaker: Shonette Micco, Hospital Support Child Passenger Safety Liaison, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and Safekids Greater East Metro, Regions Hospital

Session 35: County Road Safety Assessments

This session covered approaches to evaluating and addressing safety issues on county roads in a consistent manner system wide. Two counties—Dakota and Hennepin—were highlighted, focusing on both rural and urban practices.

Speakers: Kristi Sebastian, Transportation Office, Dakota County, and Tom Musick, Hennepin County

Session 36: Tribal Road Safety for All Modes

Native American populations in our country experience higher rates of fatalities associated with transportation than the general population as a whole. MnDOT’s Statewide Pedestrian System Plan identified Native Americans as one of six priority populations in the state who face disproportionate risks as pedestrians. This session highlighted two initiatives to assist with improving tribal road safety. The first is a recent pedestrian improvements study on the Anishinaabe Reservation. The second is the FHWA’s Local and Tribal Road Safety Mentoring, Assistance, Training, and Communication Help (MATCH) mentor program, which provides free, broad-based technical assistance to local and tribal agencies for them to learn from and build on previous experience from mentors who have faced similar safety issues on similar roadway types—and successfully mitigated those issues.

Speakers: Michael Petesch, Office of Transit and Active Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Rosemarie Anderson, Office of Safety, Federal Highway Administration; and April McCormick, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Session 37: Legal Update

This session covered legislative changes affecting DWI and traffic safety laws and reviewed important court decisions from the last year. Attendees got a preview of the next legislative session, potential legislative initiatives, and past legislative efforts. The panel discussed other court-related matters, changes to the medical marijuana law, and challenges with enforcing medical marijuana. The need for a legislative change prohibiting smoking medical marijuana while driving was also covered. Finally, the panel discussed oral fluid testing technology and efforts to create a pilot.

Speakers: David Bernstein, Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, and Amy Tripp Steiner, Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office

Session 38: Pedestrian Safety—One Step at a Time

The increase in pedestrian fatalities is a national public health trend that MnDOT is aiming to reduce through a multi-step data-driven approach to address pedestrian safety: using data to identify latent demand, reviewing crash study results to understand trends, using nonmotorized-specific analysis tools, and integrating a Safe System approach in the process.

Speaker: Sonja Piper, Office of Traffic Engineering, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Session 39: Modeling Large Truck Crash Trends

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) reports on the latest trucking trends regarding safety, efficiency, and viability. In 2005, ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee recognized the need for a crash predictor modeling tool. Since 2005, four reports have been released that are aimed at notifying carriers of driver behaviors and characteristics that predict crash trends. Like the earlier crash predictor reports, the 2022 report focuses on traffic violations, convictions, and prior crashes when predicting crashes; additionally, new research will build off 2018’s gender and age investigations, enforcement analysis, compliance reviews, and state trends.

Speaker: Abbigail Markus, American Transportation Research Institute