Profiles in Rural Safety

Alabama’s Daniel Turner works to make roads safer and more efficient

Alabama roadways pose a unique set of problems for transportation experts, but for Daniel Turner, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Alabama and past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, making rural roads in his state safer has become a life mission. more

Idaho addresses rural EMS challenges

In Idaho, a 26-year-old ambulance was serving more than 800 square miles of the state. But Dia Gainor, Idaho Emergency Medical Services Bureau chief, said the large rural area depending on the worn-out vehicle’s emergency service couldn’t possibly hold enough bake sales to raise the kind of money needed to purchase a new ambulance. more

Montana DOT finds unique solutions to rural traffic safety challenges

Montana has a unique set of challenges when it comes to rural highway safety, and state DOT director Jim Lynch is developing unique ways to overcome those challenges. more

Iowa DOT’s Tom Welch improves rural safety with critical, low-cost fixes

There’s a time during the Midwest’s summer when standard traffic signs warning of approaching curves blend in with the light green color of maturing corn crops. Iowa safety engineer Tom Welch recognizes issues like this and finds ways to improve roadway safety with low–cost improvements. more

Judge James E. Dehn

Isanti County Judge James E. Dehn has created some innovative tactics to prevent drunk driving and crack down on repeat offenders. Two nationally recognized approaches are Staggered Sentencing and the Liquor Provider Partnership. more