2023 Northwest Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Workshop
April 25, 2023
16458 160th Avenue NE
Thief River Falls, MN
About the Workshop
This annual workshop helps facilitate Minnesota TZD's goal of creating a collaborative, comprehensive, and regional approach to reducing traffic deaths and severe injuries.
Workshop Presentations
Welcome to 20th Anniversary of TZD!
Speakers: J.T. Anderson, District Engineer, MnDOT District 2, and Northwest Minnesota TZD Regional Co-chair and Sue Johnson, Northwest Minnesota TZD Regional Coordinator
Traffic Safety Culture: Minnesota Updates and What Are Other States Doing?
Speaker: Kristine Hernandez, Statewide TZD Program Coordinator, MnDOT Office of Traffic Engineering
Crash Data Presentation: What’s the Data Telling Us?
Recent trends in traffic fatalities and serious injuries statewide are concerning. Are there certain crash types that have contributed to this rise? Were the past years a brief spike or are we seeing a new trajectory? This presentation reviewed regional crash trends with an eye towards the Strategic Highway Safety Plan and potential opportunities for future strategies.
Speaker: Derek Leuer, State Traffic Safety Engineer, MnDOT Office of Traffic Engineering
Minnesota Edibles and Traffic Safety
With the potential legalization of cannabis, what are the facts and myths? This session provided education on cannabis and how it affects traffic safety.
Speaker: Sgt. Aaron Bommersbach, Certified DRE, Minnesota State Patrol
School Bus Stop Arm Camera Grant Program
Speakers: Rahya Geisler, Program Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety, and Lt. Brian Reu, District 4700, State Director of Pupil Transportation
School bus stop arm cameras have been installed in school buses across the region to keep students safe as they get on and off them. The cameras provided through the project help schools and law enforcement find the violators and hold them accountable
Focusing on What Matters
Speaker: Amber Peterson, Managing Partner, Peterson & Perme Associates
Quite often, people feel overly impacted by their environment and helpless to change what’s going on in their own mind. Yet, our mindset (attitude and beliefs) is greatly impacted by what we choose to focus on. Who do we surround ourselves with? What is important that we should focus our energy? What boundaries should we hold around our values? This session guided participants to examine what they are focusing on in their lives, decide if it’s what they truly want, and empower them to make the changes they see they need to live a more fulfilled and satisfied life.
Workshop Goals
- Encourage traffic safety as a priority for policymakers
- Provide information on traffic safety issues in Northwest Minnesota
- Provide a method to bring traffic safety programs into your community
- Spread successes of the Northwest Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths program
- Network with other traffic safety advocates
Workshop Sponsors
- Northwest Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Program
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety
- Minnesota Department of Transportation, Office of Traffic Engineering and District 2
- Minnesota Department of Health
- Minnesota State Patrol
More Information
With questions, please contact Sue Johnson, Northwest TZD Regional Coordinator, at susan.marie.johnson@state.mn.us or 218-766-5943.