2024 Toward Zero Deaths Conference

About the Conference

This conference provides a forum for sharing information on best practices in engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency medical/health services and for identifying new approaches to reducing the number of traffic fatalities and life-changing injuries on Minnesota roads.

The conference will be offering only in-person attendance this year, with 2 general sessions, more than 30 concurrent sessions, and almost 50 expected exhibitors. 

In one general session, Steve Schmidt will present "The Human-AI Partnership:  Unleashing the Power of Collaborative Intelligence for Highway Safety Communication." In this presentation, Schmidt will demystify AI and its potential applications in the realm of highway safety and describe how AI can enhance safety messaging, data analysis, and decision making. He will also review real-world examples of AI tools being used for traffic safety education and communication—and explore how Minnesota TZD partners can leverage AI to enhance highway safety communication in their own communities.

The other general session will explore how, on March 16, 2015, an impaired wrong-way driver changed a college student's life. Since then, despite losing his sight, Elias Youngblom has learned to live a full life with a sixth sense of humor. His mother, Tracy Youngblom, will also share her perspective on the crash, how it affected the Youngblom family, and the memoir she has written to help her cope.

Full program information will be available in late summer.

Registration

• General attendee registration will open Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
• Sponsor and exhibitor registration will open Thursday, July 18, 2024.

Accommodations

Rooms are available at several St. Cloud area hotels, starting at rates of $107 plus tax per night. Conference attendees are responsible for making their own reservations. View the full list of hotels, rates, and reservation deadlines.

For Conference Speakers

Will you be speaking at this year's TZD conference? Check out our resources for speakers and moderators.

Contact

Questions? Please contact Linda Dolan at ldolan@umn.edu.

Sponsors

The conference is offered by the Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Program and the Minnesota Departments of Health, Public Safety, and Transportation, with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It is hosted by the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies.