The care of human life and happiness... is the first and only objective of good government ." Thomas Jefferson
About the Course
Each year, nearly 34,000 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 |
| monsere at pdx.edu | |
| Office Hours | Monday 1-2 PM, 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 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM |
| Location | EB 315 |
| Final Exam Day/Time | Mon., June 11 1015-1205 |