CARTS Staff Presents at Louisiana Transportation Conference

Baton Rouge, LA - Several staff members from the Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) recently spent presented their research and projects at the Louisiana Transportation Conference.

The Conference, a biennial event hosted by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and the Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC), took place in Baton Rouge and brought together transportation professionals from around the state from both the public and private sectors. Themed “Transportation Innovation: The Foundation of our Future,” the Transportation Conference aimed to promote the interchange of technology and ideas regarding policy, practice, and problems within the Louisiana transportation community.

While at the conference, IT department manager Mark Verret and applications developer Jason Hines presented on a roadway analysis tool. The web-based tool developed by Hines combines crash data with analytics and geographic information systems (GIS) to assist transportation engineers when they target problematic roadway areas. Using this tool allows DOTD engineers to identify and analyze road segments based on crash volume, severity, and other factors. This application replaces disparate manual processes by providing all necessary information to make decisions using a single portal.

David Whitchurch also presented, reiterating the 2018 crash trends initially presented by CARTS Executive Director Dr. Helmut Schneider earlier this year and expanded on some of these topics. Whitchurch's presentation, “2018 Crash Data Report and Trends for Louisiana SHSP Emphasis Areas” briefly reviewed Schneider's conclusions, and then covered a five-year moving average of fatality and serious injury trends on a number of topics in which safety coalitions focus. These topics included alcohol-involved, no restraint, pedestrian, bicycle, distracted drivers, inattentive drivers, roadway departures, intersections, young drivers, and older driver crashes.

About CARTS

The Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) is responsible for collecting, maintaining, integrating, analyzing and distributing crash-related data captured from law enforcement and other agencies throughout the State of Louisiana. CARTS utilizes this data to develop business intelligence (BI) and GIS tools, perform research studies and produce an annual factbook. These tools and publications are used by decision-makers to identify potential problem areas, create countermeasures, set policies, and establish programs to improve the safety of our roadways in Louisiana. CARTS is a center within the E. J. Ourso College of Business at LSU.

Contact: Mary Churay Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety 225-578-0366