City set to co-host Canadian Association of Road Safety Professional Conference this week

May is traffic safety month in Calgary, and dozens of professionals from across Canada and around the world are convening on our city to discuss just that – traffic safety. Kicking off today at Hotel Arts, The City of Calgary is co-hosting the 2019 Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals (CARSP) Conference.

“Having the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals Conference in our city highlights the work that Calgary has done and is doing to make sure all of our citizens are safe on our roads,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Road safety is a priority for Calgarians and we are proud to host this year’s conference to learn from experts from around the world on how to continue improving our roadways.”

“As the Chair of the 2019 CARSP conference, I look forward to highlighting the work Calgarians have done to improve the safety of all road users in our City,” said Tony Churchill, Traffic Safety Lead at the City of Calgary and Chair of the 2019 CARSP Conference. “With topics at the conference ranging from protecting children on our roads, to risky driving behaviour, technology in road safety and implementing the newly adopted Vision Zero ideal, there is a lot to be learned and shared.”

This year’s conference theme is Vision Zero, a traffic safety program developed in the 90s in Europe that have recently been gaining traction in Canada. Vision Zero aims to reduce all injury and fatality collisions towards zero. The approach has resulted in noteworthy successes – Sweden has one of the lowest rates of road deaths in the world.

“Calgary is an excellent choice to host this year’s conference with the Vision Zero theme, as the concept continues to be introduced and refined in Calgary and Canada,” said Marie-Soleil Cloutier, President, CARSP. “With examples to draw on from Calgary, like the Safer Mobility Plan and Alberta’s Traffic Safety Plan, we look forward to sharing how plans like these and Vision Zero can be implemented for safer roadways across Canada.”

The conference is aimed at road safety practitioners from many disciplines, including, but not limited to: health professionals, engineers, government officials, crash re-constructionists, insurers, researchers, and enforcement personnel. The goal of the work of these professionals is the same, regardless of the type of work they do, and that is to make our roads safer.

Visit the CARSP webpage for more details on the conference, including speakers, panel discussions and the work of CARSP.

More information about traffic safety programs and initiatives in Calgary can be found on Calgary.ca/trafficsafety.

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