Crash test dummies Vince and Larry at the Drive Safely Opening Ceremony

 

By Sydney Redigan Public Affairs Writer “I’ve never seen so many nerds having so much fun,” said Fox 2 Traffic Reporter Jackie Paige, kicking off the 2008 Drive Safely to Wayne State Opening Ceremony. The Ceremony was the official opening of the fifth annual Drive Safely to Wayne State Campaign, a two-day event that took place on Wayne State’s Gullen Mall hosted by the Wayne State Transportation Research Group (TRG) and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). The “nerds” Paige referred to were students and transportation experts who ran the booths and games, which included child safety seat demonstrations and checks, information and videos on poor driving behavior and samples of “mocktails” to promote alternatives to alcoholic beverages. The ceremony, held at 1 p.m. on September 22, featured several prominent elected officials and experts in the area of transportation research, as well as WSU Provost Nancy Barrett and College of Engineering Dean Ralph Kummler.  Barrett and Kummler both highlighted the important role of Wayne State as a leader in transportation research and as the only institute of higher learning in the state where students can receive a master’s and PhD degree with a specialty in transportation engineering. Elected officials Terri Lynn Land, Michigan secretary of state; Robert A. Ficano, Wayne County executive; and Alberta Tinsley-Talabi, Councilwoman, City of Detroit; each spoke about the positive work being done by the TRG and OHSP to improve transportation safety, but also emphasized the difference individuals can make in saving lives on the road. “We must educate each other,” Tinsley-Talabi said, reminding everyone to tell passengers to buckle up and to take away the keys from a driver who has had too much to drink. Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), talked about advances in road safety technology currently being introduced to Michigan’s highways, including cable net barriers on freeways, rumble strips on rural two-lane roads, and roundabouts that slow traffic speed at intersections. Capt. Harold Love, second district commander of the Michigan State Police; Kathy Farnum, planning and program development manager of OHSP; and John Friend, engineer of delivery of MDOT, each spoke about advances in traffic safety, and the effectiveness of the road safety enforcement efforts of the “Click It or Ticket” and the “Drive Safely to WSU” campaigns. After the speeches, Kummler and Tapan Datta, professor and head of the WSU Transportation Research Group, presented awards to Land, Paige, Michelle Grimm, associate dean of the College of Engineering, and Daniel Vartanian, corporate program coordinator for the Michigan Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, for their dedication to transportation safety. As Datta made closing remarks, he reminded the audience, “The Drive Safely campaign is not about Wayne State or the Transportation Research Group, but the bigger idea of saving lives.”

Jackie Paige, Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and MDOT Director Kirk Steudle at the Drive Safely ribbon cutting

Vince at the Drive Safely Opening Ceremony