In last week’s blog, we looked at several factors that may be contributing to an increase in fatality rates per miles driven since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It’s important to think about what we can do to reduce the risk of death or serious injury in road crashes. How can safety professionals address the “new…
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For several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended everyday routines and greatly impacted our health and economy. Typically, as economic activity declines, travel decreases, and the risk of being involved in a road collision also decreases. However, recent data from the National Safety Council (NSC) shows otherwise – emptier but riskier roads. Preliminary estimates from…
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COVID-19 has significantly impacted daily life around the world. Many people are teleworking, schools are adopting distance learning in greater numbers, and more entertainment and retail activity are occurring online than ever before. These lifestyle adjustments have led to travel behavioral changes that allow planners to reclaim underutilized roadway lanes for other purposes, such as…
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Office employees are working from home, schools are closed, and large gatherings with friends and family are discouraged per social distancing recommendations. As we stay at home, we are reminded of how our community interactions have changed with COVID-19. Several reports and maps display how we are practicing social distancing; those numbers and colors illustrate…
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The Greater Birmingham Regional Planning Commission hosted the Federal Highway Administration’s Designing Streets for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Workshop on February 20th and 21st. I had the opportunity to attend as a representative of Sain Associates, along with other consultants and individuals from local municipalities and organizations. The two-day workshop was centered on bicycle and…
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We have written previously about our work associated with the I-59/20 bridge replacement project in downtown Birmingham. If you live or work in the area, you already know that the interstate bridges are back open! Jeff Stephenson and I had the opportunity to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, January 17, and on the following Sunday, the bridges were…
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Construction Engineering & Inspection (CE&I) is a critical component of every engineering project. The City of Prattville selected Sain to provide CE&I services for two Industrial Access Road projects last year – one for a 1.2-mile industrial road and one for 0.6-mile spur road off of the primary industrial road in Prattville South Industrial Park….
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According to the “Hands Free Tennessee” campaign, there were 24,600 crashes involving a distracted driver in Tennessee in 2018. A recent study also revealed that from 2015 to 2017, Tennessee had the highest rate of distracted driving deaths in the nation, at 7.2 distracted driving deaths per 10 billion vehicle miles. Tennessee’s rate is nearly five times higher than the national…
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Did you know the state departments of transportation oversee all construction and maintenance of our Interstate System, but the federal government maintains oversight to interstate access? Therefore, any change of access to the Interstate System requires approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). I recently attended an FHWA workshop at the Tennessee Department of Transportation…
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Did you know a new traffic law went into effect in Alabama on Sunday, September 1st? The new law, also known as Act 2019-386 or SB 254, requires all occupants of a motor vehicle to use seat belts (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency). You read that right. Up until now, back seat passengers did not have…
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