KDOT Transportation Safety Conference

Registration | Eagle Ballroom Foyer
Continental breakfast | Eagle Ballroom
Exhibits open | Eagle Ballroom Foyer

Introductory Master of Ceremonies Vanessa Spartan, Kansas Department of Transportation

Welcome & Opening Remarks | Eagle Ballroom

Vanessa Spartan, Chief of Transportation, Kansas Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Safety

Calvin Reed, Secretary of Transportation, Kansas Department of Transportation

Susan DeCourcy, Regional Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Richard Backlund, Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration - Kansas Division

Michael Christopher, Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration

Charles Marohn, known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues, is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a land use planner and civil engineer with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota.

Marohn is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, and of Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town. He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns’ web content. He has presented Strong Towns’ concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. Plantizen named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time.

Keynote Presentation: Transportation for a Strong Town

We all want to live in a place where the transportation system serves residents. The costs of the North American transportation system are too high—and not just in money, but in time, safety, and quality of life. No one should have to live in a community where transportation gets worse while costing more. It’s unwise and unfair to be wasting precious time and resources on something this bad.

Charles Marohn explains why the conventional approach to traffic engineering is making people less safe, bankrupting towns and cities, destroying the fabric of communities, and actually worsening the problems (like congestion) engineers set out to solve. Transportation can be fixed—and he’ll explain why fixing it will involve not just engineers, but local residents and officials who have become effective and empowered advocates, connected with others to make real change.

Eagle Ballroom Foyer

Revolutionizing Emergency Response: Getting Crash Data in the Hands of Kansas 911 and Field Responders through RapidDeploy

 Eagle ABC Room

RapidDeploy is at the forefront of transforming emergency response in Kansas! By seamlessly integrating crash data from OnStar and Bosch, and enhanced location data from Apple and Google, RapidDeploy ensures that critical information reaches Kansas 911 centers through the Radius Map and field responders via the Lightning mobile app even before the 911 call is made. Dive into the current use of Radius and Lightning in Kansas, explore future feature enhancements, and learn about their pivotal role in revolutionizing Kansas emergency response.

Speakers: Michele Abbott and Sherry Massey, KS911 Coordinating Council; Jim Lanier, OnStar

Moderator: Jim Hollingsworth, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

How to be an Advocate for Safer Streets in Your Town

Riverview Ballroom

Charles Marohn will demonstrate that many of the collisions plaguing our communities are actually preventable. He will assist the audience with diagramming a street section of an actual crash location and guide you through assessing the design factors that led to the collision occurring in the first place.

Speaker: Charles Marohn, Strong Towns

Moderator: Noel Schneider, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM Equity

Speed Management Strategies: From Policy to Practice for Safer Roads

Trail Room

This session will explore the critical role of speed management in improving transportation safety. Attendees will gain insights into the history of speed limits and Kansas laws governing them, how traffic engineers evaluate speed limits on the state system, and why effective speed management is essential for reducing crashes and saving lives. The session will also cover practical resources, funding opportunities, and tools available to local entities to enhance speed management efforts, with real-world examples of successful implementations.

Speakers: Haley Dougherty, Kansas Department of Transportation; Stacie Eichem, City of Wamego; Nelda Buckley, University of Kansas; and Steven Buckley, JEO Consulting Group

Moderator: Max Wilcox, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Leveraging User Data to Optimize Corridor Safety

Birch Room

Mobile telematic data available from cellphones is one means of evaluating existing roadway operations and identifying potential areas of interest related to road user behaviors. Cellphone ownership and usage is an emerging available data source to potentially overcome limitations with existing safety data availability, quality, and timeliness. According to Pew Research*, as much as 97% of Americans own a cellphone. Third party data providers are aggregating cellphone data and providing a means to improve transportation professional’s understanding of driver performance. KDOT, in partnership with Benesch, and Michelin’s Mobility Intelligence (MMI), explored the correlation between cell phone data and traditional traffic and safety datasets available from KDOT. The presentation will report the findings of this evaluation, discuss where cellphone data provides reliable association with objectives of the Safety Corridor Pilot Program and where KDOT could leverage such data towards overall safety decision making.

Speakers: David Schwartz, Kansas Department of Transportation; Ed Lewis, Benesch; Ethan Tidwell, Benesch.

Moderator: Don Hughes, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Modern Driver Education: Going Beyond the “Rules of the Road” to Support the Safe System Approach

Eagle Ballroom

With peer-reviewed research confirming that a full-length, quality driver education program can result in fewer crashes and citations, such programs can legitimately claim to substantially support the “Safer People” component of the Safe System Approach. But what about the other components? Can driver education also ositively influence safer speeds, vehicles, and roads, as well as post-crash care? The answer is “yes.”

Join a discussion on the full scope of the relationship between driver education and the Safe System Approach. And learn how driver education in Kansas can be enhanced to:

• Meet national standards

• Have significant impact on road safety, and

• Help achieve the state’s Drive to Zero initiative

Speaker: William E. Van Tassel, Ph.D., AAA

Master of Ceremonies: Gary Herman, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: .75 AICP CM

Empowering Connections

Birch Room

Carter Kits are a non-profit, Michigan based, supply, founded by two first responders. They offer a comprehensive approach to improving provider readiness to care for those on the spectrum, or who are neurodiverse. In addition to the sensory bags, they have many training options, including a free train-the-trainer program. The Kansas EMSC Communication Cards are a tool for emergency personnel and their patients (designed with young children, non-verbal children and children with special needs in mind).

Conference Sessions Speakers: Jessica Baker, Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Moderator: Maura Fitzgerald, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM, 1.0 EMS Trauma CM

How Public Health Officials Can Contribute to Traffic Safety Initiatives

Eagle ABC Room

This session will feature public health practitioners from local and state health departments discussing the role of public health in supporting the development of safe systems approaches. Speakers will describe how the goals of transportation and public health often overlap. Public health partners can contribute tools and supports to increase safety for vulnerable road users.

Speakers: Vicki Collie-Akers, Ph.D., M.P.H, University of Kansas Medical Center; Candice Davidson, Reno County Health Department; Courtney Koenig, Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Moderator: Roberta Bradbury, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Collaborating for Safer Steets; WAMPO's Journey to Securing an SS4A Grant and Building the ICT Safe Coalition

Trail Room

Discover how the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (WAMPO) collaborative approach helped secure a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant and led to the formation of the ICT Safe Coalition. WAMPO staff and transportation safety champions will share strategies for engaging partners in the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan and ongoing safety initiatives. This session will explore how combining engineering and enforcement with community engagement is vital for achieving funding success and ultimately driving Kansas fatalities toward zero.

Speakers: Kim Negrete, Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization; Alan Kailer, Bike Walk Wichita; Max Wilcox, Kansas Department of Transportation

Moderator: Max Wilcox, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Driver's Education Panel-Addressing the Teen Driver

Riverview Ballroom

Attendees will learn about teen driving education in Kansas both privately operated and #USD drivers education programs under the guidance of the Kansas Departments of Revenue and Education. The audience will also learn about a program through the Police Athletic League of Kansas City, Kansas designed for teens in Wyandotte County, Kansas, who cannot afford private driver’s education instruction.

Speakers: Leslie Richards, Kansas Department of Revenue; Jessica Apodaca, Kansas Department of Education; Steve Petrillo and Matt Tomasic, Police Athletic League-Kansas City, Kansas

Moderator: Noel Schneider, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Eagle Ballroom Foyer

Scene by Scene: The Journey from Crash Response to Care in Rural Kansas

Eagle ABC Room

Experience the unfolding story of a rural crash response, step by step, through the eyes of those on the front lines. This session features a panel of diverse professionals — law enforcement, EMS, and hospital staff — who will walk you through each phase of responding to and caring for crash victims in rural Kansas. From the first 911 call to emergency care in the hospital, they will share the unique challenges they face, such as limited resources, long response times, and the need for seamless coordination to optimize the survivability of crash victims in rural Kansas.

Speakers: Master Trooper Jason Draper, Kansas Highway Patrol; Sarah Gibbs, Trego Lemke Memorial Hospital; Clay Cox, Air Methods

Moderator: Jim Hollingsworth, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM, 1.0 EMS Trauma CE

We Have a Plan, Now What? Implementing Local Transportation

Trail Room

If your community wants to construct safer roadways or fund safety curriculum in the classroom, having a plan in place is great. But far too often communities are challenged with finding funds to help with implementation. In this session, participants will learn from KDOT staff about the various programs and resources available and learn what makes an application more competitive to help take your plans from the shelf to the streets.

Speakers: Matt Messina and Dawn Hueske, Kansas Department of Transportation

Moderator: Amy Sims-Shonka, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

KDOT Innovative Technology Deployment Updates

Birch Room

Unit Deployment: Wichita – Greenwich Road Corridor

As a part of the KDOT Innovative Technology Grant, Iteris’s Blue TOAD Roadside Units for V2I Application are being installed at 10 signalized intersections along the Greenwich Road corridor in Wichita. This presentation will describe capabilities of the RSU and its current applicability along the select corridor.

Presentation Title 2: KanDrive Updates

In 2024, KDOT made major updates to its KanDrive public traveler information system to improve safety and mobility on Kansas highways. Enhancements included a real-time oversize load tracker for superloads on US-83; a hands-free/eyes-free feature allowing members of the public to report highway hazards directly to Kansas’s Statewide TMC on the KanDrive mobile app; a CarPlay/Android Auto version of the KanDrive mobile app; and an Alexa skill offering road reports directly from KDOT on Alexa smart8 home speakers. This presentation will describe these new enhancements and share insights and lessons learned from putting them into operational use.

Speaker: Shivraj Patil, TranSystems; Kristin Virshbo, Castle Rock Associates

Moderator: Rob Istas, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems: Technology’s Role in Achieving Safer Vehicles

Riverview Ballroom

With advances in vehicles occurring so substantially and rapidly, the “Safer Vehicles” component of the Safe System Approach warrants special attention, in terms of opportunities to address motor vehicle crashes.

Join the discussion as the latest ADAS/vehicle technologies are explored, including:

• The challenges of preparing new and experienced drivers to use their technologies safely and effectively
• What specific vehicle technologies consumers actually want, and are willing to pay for
• Consumers’ current concerns about different levels of vehicle autonomy
• The latest results of functional testing — how today’s technologies perform

Speaker: William E. Van Tassel, Ph.D., AAA

Moderator: Maura Fitzgerald, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Adjournment

Registration | Eagle Ballroom Foyer

Continental breakfast | Eagle Ballroom Foyer

Exhibits open | Eagle Ballroom Foyer

Three Regional Workshop Sessions

Stakeholders will discuss transportation safety within their region including their efforts in engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency response. Attendees will also learn about previous and forthcoming safety planning efforts and review regional crash data by examining the data dashboard. The goal of these workshops is for all traffic safety stakeholders to discuss and collaborate on the transportation safety challenges and opportunities for their region.

Northeast Region-District 1

Eagle ABC
 

Facilitator: Vanessa Spartan, AICP, Kansas Department of Transportation

Moderator: David Schwartz, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM, 1.0 EMS Operations
 

West Region-Districts 2, 3, 6

Trail Rooms
 

Facilitator: Haley Dougherty, Kansas Department of Transportation

Moderator: Gary Herman, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM, 1.0 EMS Operations
 

South Region-Districts 4, 5

Riverview Ballroom
 

Facilitator: Max Wilcox, Kansas Department of Transportation

Moderator: Chris Bortz, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM, 1.0 EMS Operations

Eagle Ballroom Foyer

First Responders Prepping the Landing Zone

Birch Room

This course teaches fire, police, EMS, and other first responders how to select and set up a landing zone for a helicopter. Focusing on safety of ground and air providers, this course provides information based upon the CAMTS requirements and the standards of the FAA.

Speaker: Clay Cox, Air Methods

Moderator: Bill Sullivan, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM, 1.0 EMS Operations CE

Planning for Safer Access to Schools: Benefiting the Entire Community

Trail Rooms

In this session, attendees will learn how KDOT is planning for the most vulnerable of road users—school children. With its new, revitalized Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program, KDOT has tailored its program to fit the needs of Kansas schools and communities of all sizes. Launched in Fall 2023, the SRTS Program has worked with 18 communities to improve policies, systems and the environment to encourage and pave the way for kids to regularly and joyfully walk, bike, and roll to school without stress. Planning and building safe routes to school benefits the entire community, not just students. Families, seniors, pet parents, people with disabilities, non-drivers, etc., all benefit. Presenters will discuss Kansas’s new model for SRTS and provide examples of how planning has led to big changes in programming and construction, motivated decision makers, and energized communities statewide to join the movement for safety, active living, and an overall improved quality of life that allows for meaningful human connections.

Speakers: Matt Messina and Jenny Kramer, Kansas Department of Transportation

Moderator: Max Wilcox, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

What are Traffic Safety Culture Strategies?

Riverview Ballroom

We must change our traffic safety culture to reach our goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries. This means not only prioritizing our own safety but also taking “prosocial” actions that ensure the safety of others. But how do we do this? This workshop will discuss a framework to define culture-based strategies to change road user behavior. It will include examples of different types of culture-based strategies and discuss how they differ from and can support education and enforcement strategies. Workshop participants will discuss opportunities for using culture-based strategies and identify prosocial actions that different stakeholder groups can take to encourage safe road user behaviors.

Speaker: Nicholas Ward, Ph.D., Safe System Solutions LLC

Moderator: Maura Fitzgerald, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

Iowa DOT efforts on reducing Wrong Way Driving and Smart Zone Data Exchange

Eagle ABC Room

Iowa DOT has implemented low cost Wrong Way Driving (WWD) signing and pavement marking countermeasures at over 350 locations across Iowa in 2021. In addition, 62 cameras were added at selected locations that can detect a Wrong Way Driver, giving the ability to see what treatments work and what still needs additional or completely different treatments. One of our greatest success stories are treatments at partial cloverleaf interchanges (with an off-loop). These are problematic across the nation as a WWD generator. Iowa DOT’s treatment has shown an 88% reduction in incidents being monitored by seven cameras and a 100% reduction in crashes statewide.

Speaker: Willy Sorenson, Iowa Department of Transportation

Moderator: Don Hughes, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: 1.00 AICP CM

The Fatal Consequences of Distracted Driving: Remembering Cassy

Eagle Ballroom

How a Kansas Father/Daughter have turned a family tragedy into advocacy and Awareness. Todd Linder and Amy Ruiz, a father and daughter from southwest Kansas, transformed their profound grief into a powerful platform for advocacy and awareness. Their journey began with the heartbreaking loss of their daughter and sister, Cassandra Kay Linder. Todd, a dedicated Region 6 Production Manager with UniFirst for two decades, leverages his professional position to advocate for safe driving practices. Amy, a Senior Clinical Trials Associate at IQVIA, shares Cassy’s story with moving eloquence, emphasizing the importance of being present in each precious moment. United by their shared passion for safety, Todd and Amy pour their hearts into their advocacy work, ensuring that Cassy’s memory serves as a catalyst for change in the fight against distracted driving.

On March 13, 2023, Cassandra Kay Linder, a bright and compassionate young woman, tragically lost her life due to a distracted commercial motor vehicle driver. Cassy, just 16 years old, had been eagerly anticipating her high school graduation in May 2025 and planned to attend the University of Kansas that fall, following in her sister Amy’s footsteps. More than just sisters, Cassy and Amy were inseparable friends, sharing countless dreams for the future, including attending the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in Kansas City in July 2023. Though Cassy couldn’t be there in person, her sisters Amy and Brina attended the concert in her memory, a tribute to Cassy’s vibrant spirit and her love for life. Through their work, Todd and Amy strive to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, hoping to prevent other families from experiencing the same profound loss.

Cassy’s family has turned their grief into a powerful mission to protect others, encouraging responsible driving practices and fostering dialogue about the impacts of distracted driving. By courageously sharing their painful experience, they strive to create a future where preventable tragedies like theirs become a thing of the past. In each step of this journey, they carry Cassy’s spirit with them, a guiding light that fuels their unwavering commitment to ensure her memory lives on as a beacon of change.

Speakers: Todd Linder, Distracted Driving Advocate/Father of an Angel; Amy Ruiz

Master of Ceremonies: Chris Bortz, Kansas Department of Transportation

Credits: .75 AICP CM

Hero Transportation Safety Recognition Awards Presentation

Eagle Ballroom

Prize Drawing (must be present to win)

Rules of participation for prize drawing

• To be eligible for the prizes, you must be registered for both days of the conference.
• If you are registered for both days, you are automatically entered in the drawing.
• The prize drawing will be held after the Hero Transportation Safety Recognition Awards presentation on Wednesday in the Sunflower Ballroom.
• You must be present when names are read.
• You will need to claim your prize immediately. If you are not able to do so, another name will be drawn for the prize.

Adjournment