December 5, 2008

• Traffic congestion and EMS response

• Model for first-responders following disasters

• Do highway signs cause crashes?

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Birmingham's traffic woes and congestion on our major roadways may be more serious than just an irritation to motorists. Scientists meeting Dec. 9 at the UAB University Transportation Center (UTC) Advisory Board this week say congestion has an effect on emergency medical services response times and how authorities manage the aftermath of disasters.

Researchers will outline two UAB-UTC multi-disciplinary research projects. One project looks at traffic congestion's effects on emergency medical services and patient outcomes, exploring ways to both minimize delays and provide quicker notification of crashes to first-responders. The second project involves using the Birmingham region as a model to test methods of emergency management and control of traffic flow following natural or man-made disasters.

A potentially controversial address will focus on whether America's many road signs and traffic rules actually make driving less safe. John Staddon, professor of psychology and emeritus professor of biology and neurobiology at Duke University and author of "Distracting Miss Daisy", an article recently published in the Atlantic Monthly, proposes that the overabundance of traffic signs and speed limits in America is actually counterproductive to traffic safety, and even dangerous.

Curtis Tompkins, Ph.D., director of UTC Programs for the research division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, will deliver the keynote presentation, examining the direction of research in the transportation field.

"The UAB-UTC is unique among the national University Transportation Center network, because we're based within the UAB Department of Medicine, and not a more traditional transportation-related department, such as engineering," said Russ Fine, Ph.D., M.S.P.H, director of the UAB-UTC. "Therefore, our research takes a different approach to reducing motor vehicle injuries, using a medical perspective to deal with transportation issues."

The UAB University Transportation Center, part of UAB's Injury Control and Research Center (ICRC), will host state traffic officials, EMS providers, transportation professionals, physicians and others at the annual Advisory Board meeting at the Double Tree Hotel, 20th Street and University Ave., on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

The UAB-UTC was awarded to the ICRC in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Transportation to further efforts to reduce injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle crashes.