Transportation Safety
Objectives
• Introduce students to the TDL Career
Cluster: Transportation
Systems/Infrastructure Planning,
Management, and Regulation
– Civil Engineering (Transportation Engineering)
• (Content Standard #1)
• Introduce Students to Transportation Safety
Concepts
• (Content Standard #2 and #3)
Transportation Case Study
The objective of this study:
– Analyze the current speed compliance ratio of
traffic.
• How many people do not comply with the speed
limit on this stretch of road?
– Generate a viable solution targeted to slowing
down traffic and making this stretch of road
safer for drivers and pedestrians.
• Are current traffic speeds unsafe?
• If they are unsafe, what can we do to slow down
traffic in a safe way?
Transportation Safety Background
• More than 3 million transportation-related
injuries a year (nationwide)
• Societal cost: $231 billion a year
• Loss to Nebraska: $2 billion a year
• Motor vehicle crashes account for 40% of
all 16-18 year old deaths in the US.
Transportation Safety Background
• In Nebraska, 256 people were fatally injured in
traffic accidents in 2007.
• Downward Trend
300
Nebraska Fatalities
290
280
270
260
250
240
230
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Transportation Safety Background
As of July 3rd, 2008
• 98 Fatalities
– 84 in Rural Areas
– 14 in Urban Areas
• Compared to the 2004-2007 average
– Fatalities are down 23% so far this year in
Nebraska
Transportation Case Study
• We are going to do a case study on a
stretch of road just west of Bryan HS
48th street
between
Glasgow
Ave and
Giles
Road
Transportation Case Study
STEP 1
DATA COLLECTION
• Using a stopwatch, time the cars as they
pass between the two landmarks.
– Landmarks will be given on next slide
• Record your times for each car on the
worksheet provided. (Speed Conversion
Worksheet)
Transportation Case Study
STEP 1
• The land marks are:
– The pine tree just to the right of the house
– The sign by the white building
SIGN
TREE
What Time Did You Get?
• Time between the two landmarks:
– 2.45 Seconds
Transportation Case Study
STEP 2
CALCULATE THE SPEED
• Now that we have our data, we need to
find the speed of the cars in Miles per
Hour.
• Use the equation for speed
Speed = Distance (Miles) / Time (Hours)
The distance
the cars travel
The time it takes
for the cars to
travel that
distance
Transportation Case Study
STEP 2
• We need to convert FEET per SECOND to
MILES per HOUR
– There are 5,280 feet in a mile
– There are 3,600 seconds in 1 hour
Transportation Case Study
STEP 2
• First, find the distance the car has traveled
in miles:
1 foot = 0.00018939 miles (1 / 5,280)
Number of feet the car traveled x .00018939 =
Distance
Transportation Case Study
STEP 2
• Landmark Distance
163 Feet
Distance = 163 x .00018939
Distance = .03087057 Miles
Transportation Case Study
STEP 2
• Now that you have converted the distance from
feet to miles, let’s convert the time from seconds
to hours:
• Insert the time you recorded in seconds into the
equation
• Number of seconds over 3,600
Number of Seconds
=TIME (in hours)
3,600
2.45 Seconds / 3,600 = .00068055 Hours
Transportation Case Study
STEP 2
• Now let’s insert the TIME and DISTANCE
into the Speed Equation:
DISTANCE
TIME
=Speed (MPH)
Transportation Case Study
STEP 2
• TIME = .00068055 Hours
• DISTANCE = .03087057 Miles
.03087057 Miles
.00068055 Hours
= 45.36 MPH
Speed Limit = 35 MPH
Transportation Case Study
STEP 3
• You and a partner will spend 20 minutes
collecting data on this stretch of road.
• You will time 10 different cars and
calculate their speeds
– Use worksheet provided
Transportation Case Study
STEP 3
• Once finished: calculate the Compliance
Ratio
– Give the percent of vehicles going faster than
the posted speed limit (35 MPH)
– (# of speeders / 10) x 100 = percent of
speeding vehicles (Compliance Ratio)
Transportation Case Study
STEP 4
• Do we have a problem on this stretch of
road?
• DISCUSSON
– What are the traffic laws in this area?
• Speed Limit during SCHOOL?
– What is or is not located on or around this
stretch of road that may increase traffic
speed?
– Do you think that the low speed limit through
here is important or should it be increased?
Transportation Case Study
STEP 4
• Using the internet, you and your partner
will research possible solutions to slow
down the traffic.
– Stop Light
– Traffic Calming Device
– More Enforcement
– Speed Bumps
• Create a power point presentation to
showcase your solution.
Career Pathway
Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics
Transportation Systems/Infrastructure
Planning, Management, and Regulation
Civil Engineering
 Transportation Engineering
Civil Engineering Video…
• Nebraska Career Connections
– Civil Engineering Career Video
http://www.nebraskacareerconnections.org/
Bear Tracks
Bear Tracks is a Bryan High
TDL newsletter dedicated to
increasing our student’
knowledge of high demand
and high wage jobs in the
Transportation, Distribution,
and Logistics Career
pathway.