2023 Southwest Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Workshop

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.

• Final workshop agenda (PDF)

Workshop Presentations

Crash Data Presentation: What’s the Data Telling Us?

Speaker: Ken E. Johnson, Assistant State Traffic Engineer, MnDOT Office of Traffic Engineering

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.

• Presentation slides (PDF)

Granny! Where’s Your Helmet?

Speaker: Joan Somes, Emergency Nurses Association

An increased number of older (over age 65) adults are riding motorcycles and bicycles and putting themselves at risk of serious injury and death, because they are not taking appropriate safety precautions. This includes not wearing helmets and other protective gear. This presentation reviewed data, explored why aging increases risk, and recommended preventive actions.

• Presentation slides (PDF)

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.

• Presentation slides (PDF)
• Handout (PDF)

Workshop Goals

• Encourage traffic safety as a priority for policymakers
• Provide information on traffic safety issues in Southwest Minnesota
• Provide a method to bring traffic safety programs into your community
• Spread successes of the Southwest Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths program
• Network with other traffic safety advocates

Workshop Sponsors

• Southwest Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Program
• Minnesota Department of Public Safety
• Minnesota Department of Transportation, Office of Traffic Engineering and District 8
• Minnesota Department of Health
• Minnesota State Patrol

More Information

For questions about the workshop, please contact Melissa Hjelle, Southwest TZD Regional Coordinator, at melissa.hjelle@state.mn.us or 320-905-2319.