The care of human life and happiness... is the first and only objective of good government ." Thomas Jefferson

About the Course

firefox Each year, nearly 42,000 people are killed on our nation’s highways: the equivalent of one major airline disaster every day. Forecasts indicate that more people, driving more miles, in more vehicles, will be on our highways in the future. Given current trends, there is a possibility that without significant action, fatalities from motor vehicles crashes may start to increase reversing a long declining trend. In addition, while there has been substantial improvement in highway safety in the last 50 years in the United States, we are far behind European, Australian, and Canadian officials in developing a "safety culture" among engineers, government officials, and the motoring public. Improvements in highway safety are often a multidisciplinary approach of engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency services. The focus of this class is on educating the engineering or planning professional on the fundamentals of road safety. Highway safety engineering is a specialized field that requires knowledge of highway design, operation, maintenance, human factors, statistical analysis, traffic control, and public policy. Professionals must be familiar with design concepts of intersections, interchanges, traffic signals, traffic signs and pavement markings. They must be able to analyze large data sets and make recommendations and prioritization based on the results. Most importantly, safety engineers must understand the principles of driver and vehicle characteristics as they interact with the roadway.

Instructor

Instructor Dr. Christopher M. Monsere, P.E.
Office 301B Engineering Building
Phone 503-725-9746
E-mail monsere at pdx.edu
Office Hours Mondays 10-11 AM, others by appointment
Mailbox Location CEE Office, Engineering Building Room 200

Course Details

Course Number 450 (Undergraduate) 550 (Graduate)
Title Transportation Safety Analysis
Credits 4
Prerequisite(s) CE352
Days/Time Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 PM to 1:50 PM
Location EB310
Final Exam Day/Time Thursday June 12 1015-1205 EB 310