November 2017 Issue 42

In This Issue: Congratulations, Graduates! 2017 Northeast Transportation Safety Conference Addresses Critical Safety Issues Innovation Station: FHWA's What's New Today is Mainstream Tomorrow Winter is Coming—Just How Bad Will It Be? Fatigue—You’re More Than Just Tired Choices Matter Our mission is to foster a safe, efficient, environmentally sound transportation system by improving skills and knowledge of local transportation providers through training, technical assistance, and technology transfer.

Congratulations, Graduates! On November 16, 2017, we honored 132 transportation professionals who completed one or more of our six certificate programs in 2017. We could not be more proud of each and every one of our graduates! Programs Completed Public Works Academy Road Master Program Road Scholar Program Legal Traffic Authority Program Transportation Leadership Program Safety Academy Program The T2 Center's website has been updated with graduates' names, programs and more pictures.

2017 Northeast Transportation Safety Conference Addresses Critical Safety Issues

On October 24th-25th, safety professionals from across the region participated in the 2017 Northeast Transportation Safety Conference (NETSC). This year's conference, hosted by the CT Department of Transportation and the CT Technology Transfer Center, focused on the theme of "Safety Matters: Tech, Trends & Tomorrow." More than 40 speakers presented on a range of topics that included: Autonomous Vechicles Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) Marijuana and Driving Generational Driving Challenges Low Cost Safety Improvements The T2 Center received great feedback from the participants on their experiences. If you were not able to join us but are interested in the above topics and more, you can view the conference presentations here . Thanks to all of the conference planning committee members and to our speakers for their hard work on this important initiative.

Innovation Station: FHWA's What's New Today Is Mainstream Tomorrow

Faced with today's fiscal realities and customer demands for safe and efficient travel, transportation agencies are seeking ways to deliver programs and projects more effectively and deploy technologies and practices that save lives, time, and money. The Federal Highway Administration's Every Day Counts (EDC) program—after completing a successful third round in 2016—has proven this initiative works to solve those challenges. One after another, state and local agencies have challenged conventional practices and embraced innovations, often adopting them as new norms. EDC—now in it's fourth 2-year deployment cycle—provides tools and resources to help transportation stakeholders harness innovation to meet today's challenges. Through this initiative, FHWA partners with state agencies and other stakeholders to rapidly deploy proven innovations that enhance safety, shorten project delivery, and reduce congestion. The effort aims to foster a culture in which the transportation community embraces innovation.  Click here to continue this article.

Winter Is Coming—Just How Bad Will It Be?  Winter will be here before we know it, and speculations about what's in store have already begun. Many turn to natural cues, from observing the color of woolly bear caterpillars to judging how frantically squirrels are catching their winter food. Others turn to The Farmers' Almanac and the National Weather Service, which have released extended forecasts for the coming season in their annual attempts to gauge what's to be expected over the cold months. UConn researchers across multiple disciplines weigh in on the various methodologies, scientific or otherwise, for forecasting this year's winter for the Northeast. Click here to find out what they had to say.  Don't forget that the T2 Center's website has many resources regarding winter operations, such as the Technical Brief - Winter Operations Survival Lessons .

Fatigue—You’re More Than Just Tired People often make light of how little sleep they get; an over-worked, over-tired condition has become the norm for many. But a good night's sleep is not just a novelty, it's a necessity. The effects of fatigue are far-reaching and can have an adverse impact on all areas of our lives. Our 24/7 Workforce Our bodies are programmed to be tired at night and alert during the day, but work often requires us to override those natural sleep patterns. More than 43% of workers are sleep-deprived, and those most at risk work the night shift, long shifts or irregular shifts. Following are a few facts for employers: Safety performance decreases as employees become tired 62% of night shift workers complain about sleep loss Fatigued worker productivity costs employers $1,200 to $3,100 per employee annually Employees on rotating shifts are particularly vulnerable because they cannot adapt their "body clocks" to an alternative sleep pattern. On the Road We wouldn't allow a friend to drive drunk, but we rarely take they keys away from our tired friends or insist that they take a nap before heading out on the road. Drowsy driving is impaired driving. The National Safety Council (NSC) has gathered research that shows... Click here to continue this article from the National Safety Council. Real Costs of Fatigue in the Workplace—How Much is Fatigue Costing the Workplace? The NSC has teamed up with Brigham and Women's Hospital to develop an easy-to-use online tool , where employers can receive a tailored estimate of how much fatigue is costing their bottom line. The calculator will estimate how much of the burden can be avoided with programs implemented in the workplace. With winter around-the-corner, a helpful online resource to get you started combating fatigue in the workplace is T2 Tailgate Talk - Staying Fit for Snow Fighting .

Choices Matter The CTDOT Highway Safety Office offers the Choices Matter program to a select number of high schools across the state. The program brings in speakers to share their stories about the impact underage drinking had on their lives. On November 14th, T2 Center staff had the opportunity to attend the Choices Matter presentation at East Windsor High School, where speaker Chris Sandy gave a very powerful presentation to the student body on the consequences of his life choices. Students also had the opportunity to participate in interactive activities with a driving simulator and impairment goggles.   By the end of 2017, CTDOT will have reached over 100 schools through this effort. Congratulations, CTDOT Highway Safety Office, for your hard work in educating our children on this important safety topic. The Choices Matter program is offered at no cost to schools; dates are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Visit the CT Choices Matter website for more information.

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