ATSSA Signal March/April 2019

American Traffic Safety Services Association 4 Advancing roadway safety together ATSSA members influence, inspire, and innovate at 49th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo With a year of record-breaking at- tendance, thousands professionals came together in Tampa, Florida, for ATSSA’s 49th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo. Held at the Tampa Convention Center, the event was a premier opportunity for ATSSA members to work together on is- sues and opportunities in the roadway safety infrastructure industry, support the American Traffic Safety Services (ATSS) Foundation, learn about innova- tive roadway safety devices, and enjoy all that Tampa has to offer. Host and keynote speaker Sterling Haw- kins and ATSSA Chair Juan Arvizu pre- sided over ATSSA’s Opening General Session (OGS), which included remarks from Road Infrastructure, Inc. Chief Technical Officer Paul Carlson, Eberle Design Vice President Bill Sowell, XYZ University’s CEO Sarah Sladek, and ATSS Foundation President David Krahulec. ATSSA’s Vice President of Government Relations Nate Smith also sat down for an on-stage interview with Represen- tative Brendan Boyle (D-Penn.) to dis- cuss roadway safety and legislative pri- orities for the year ahead. “Emerging technologies are shaping ev- erything we do. Things we used to think of as science fiction—robots, drones, ar- tificial intelligence—are part of even the most mundane activities today. They’ve not only affected how we do things, but what we want to do and how we think. We see possibilities that we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago,” said Hawkins. ATSSA acknowledges industry excellence During OGS, ATSSA awarded several individuals for their contributions to transportation and roadway safety. The winner of ATSSA’s National Media Award, which is given to a journalist or publication that has conducted fair and balanced reporting on transpor- tation, was David McGee. McGee is a senior reporter with the Bristol Herald Courier and was nominated for his transportation reporting in the south- west Virginia area. The National Safety Award, given to an ATSSA member associated with a gov- ernment agency for their commitment to safety on our nation’s roadways, was Scott McCanna of the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation. McCanna has been a longtime active ATSSA member and has done significant work in his role to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. ATSSA’s Industry Achievement Award is given to a member that has made significant contributions to the associ- ation and the roadway safety infrastruc- ture industry. Sue Reiss of Impact Re- covery Systems was named the winner. Reiss has been a member for more than 25 years and has been instrumental in the association’s work on roadway safe- ty countermeasures, as well as being past ATSS Foundation president and serving on The ATSS Foundation’s board of directors for more than ten years. Following 15 presentations from ATSSA members on innovative roadway safe- ty infrastructure devices at the New Products Rollout event, the winners of this year’s Innovation Awards were an- nounced. The first place winner was Solar Advanced Warning Systems, Inc. with their Solar Advanced Warning Sys- tem device that is designed to minimize incidents on construction haul roads and intersection crossings. The second place winner was Traffic Pro Beds with their Traffic Pro Bed product, that is a redesign of a truck bed that is safer in traffic control situations. And the third place winner was TAPCO for their con- nected vehicle interface, which com- municates with smart city roadside units to relay intelligent warning sys- tem activation, providing drivers with instant vehicle alerts. The Opening General Session was an exciting kickoff to the 49th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, discussing the future of roadway safety infrastructure innovation.