Hear opening remarks from our OTSO Director/emcee, watch our awards presentation, and hear a powerful plenary from our Day One Keynote Speaker.

Accurate crash data are essential for safety planning, funding allocation, and policy evaluation. This session presents findings from a statewide crash data accuracy review and examines how data users, from engineers to analysts, interpret and apply these data in decision-making. Participants will gain insight into how missing data and inaccuracies in the data impact decision‑making. Join the speakers for Part 2 Panel to walk through a detailed refresher on the OH‑1 crash report.

Heather Wilson Schiltz is a seasoned Motorcycle Ohio chief instructor, MSF RiderCoach, and motorsports communications consultant. Heather Wilson Schiltz's work highlights that while 82% of Ohio's 2023 motorcycle crashes occurred between May and October, a staggering 78% of fatal crashes involved untrained riders. As a chief instructor, Heather trains other instructors in the "MORE" (Motorcycle Ohio Rider Enhancement) curriculum, emphasizing that consistent training is crucial for long-term survival on Ohio's roads.

Impaired driving deaths represent 32% of all traffic fatalities. Alcohol, illicit drugs, prescriptions and some over-the-counter medications impact the critical divided-attention tasks necessary for safe driving. This program discusses the psychological, physiological and psychomotor effects of substances on driving skills, differences between impaired drivers and other offenders and reviews validated screening and assessment tools for impaired drivers. The program concludes with a discussion of the role law enforcement and public safety partners play in assisting in reducing recidivism.

The presentation will cover details about two projects undertaken by Transportation Research Center, Inc., in partnership with Ohio DOT. These projects focused on worker safety inside the work zone. The first project addressed the use of Automated Truck Mounted Attenuator technology, its controlled environment testing and stakeholder outreach with various ODOT technicians. The second project is smart barrel projec0,t which is able to provide up-to-date mapping of a work zone to provide advanced notifications to motorists and detect intrusions into the work zone.

This hands-on workshop provides a detailed refresher on the OH-1 crash report, emphasizing areas where inaccuracies commonly occur. Using real-world examples and a guided mock crash exercise, participants will practice completing key fields and interpreting crash circumstances. The session reinforces accurate, consistent documentation that supports statewide crash data quality and reliability.

The Silver Tsunami is here. Ohioans age 65 and older are the state’s fastest-growing demographic and will represent more than 20% of the state’s population by 2030. Given these numbers, law enforcement officers may encounter drivers with aging-related issues impacting safe driving, including cognitive impairment.

Officers will learn the signs of cognitive impairment, its impacts on safe driving, how to identify cognitive impairment with a roadside assessment using the DOSCI screening tool, and about referring a driver with cognitive impairment to the Ohio BMW Special Case section.

People v. Rebecca Grossman is a landmark 2024 California criminal case where a prominent socialite was convicted of second-degree murder for a 2020 high-speed hit-and-run that killed two young brothers, Mark (11) and Jacob (8) Iskander, in a Westlake Village crosswalk. The case drew intense national attention due to the high-profile nature of the defendant, allegations of street racing with a former MLB player, and the use of "implied malice" to elevate a fatal drunk-driving incident to a murder conviction.

Judge Alan D. Hackenberg was appointed by Governor Kasich to serve on the Findlay Municipal Court Bench beginning in April 2017. He was elected in November 2017 to serve the remainder of the unexpired term and re-elected again in November of 2021. Prior to being appointed, Judge Hackenberg served as an Assistant City Law Director for the City of Findlay for over 22 years and was a partner in the law firm of Hackenberg, Beutler, Rasmussen and Feighner, LLC. He also served as the Village Solicitor of McComb, Ohio for over 6 years.

Parents and caregivers often misuse child restraint systems (CRS), which puts children in danger during crashes. In this session, we will present the results from two online surveys of parents: one to define the rates and reasons behind premature restraint transitions and another exploring how CRS infographics and numeracy (the ability to understand and use numbers) affect parents’ abilities to interpret CRS instructions. Additionally, we will present a new resource for child seat education: a series of videos demonstrating consequences of CRS misuse using computer simulated crash footage.

This presentation will describe what is known about mental health, risky driving and crashes among teenage drivers. The protective effect of mindfulness and having a sense of purpose and meaning in life will also be described.

A statewide coalition composed has been working to advance a series of reforms to Ohio Revised Code that would give localities greater flexibility to set speed limits based on local concerns. Current Ohio law is based on "functional classification," a method which many other states are abandoning in favor of a "context-based classification system" which better incorporates considerations like land use and residential density. Presenters will explain how state policy has been shifting nationwide and why their group is advocating for similar reforms in Ohio.

Traditionally alcohol use is male-dominated activity, resulting in research and awareness of impaired driving among females getting lost in the pool of male offending. DUI arrests for women grew 93% in recent years and women now make up 25% of the alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes. This program focuses on gender-specific concerns, including patterns of use, trauma, family responsibilities, risks and needs, and effective strategies to address DUI recidivism among women.

Every state has an area with an intractable road safety issue that has not been solved by traditional programs and campaigns. Furthermore, there are inequitable crash, injury, and fatality rates in these areas. Engaging these communities is essential to changing behavior to improve road safety. Yet, it can be difficult to bring community stakeholders together. Travelers Marketing takes a data-driven approach to finding communities with inequitable crashes and fatalities. Our approach gives communities ownership of their road safety concerns and drives change.

Bike Cleveland’s annual crash report compiles data from multiple sources to capture every possible crash involving people biking and walking. The report breaks findings down by ward, uncovers data gaps, and offers neighborhood-specific recommendations. Learn how this report became a trusted advocacy tool—and how your organization can create one too.

Ohio is entering its fourth year of primary enforcement for distracted driving. Join colleagues from across the state for a collaborative discussion on how to reinvigorate enforcement and education efforts. Explore the challenges law enforcement agencies face—and the innovative solutions and successes that are making a difference. This interactive, reverse Q&A session gives the audience a chance to help shape statewide support by sharing feedback on education and training opportunities.

Habitual super-speeders—those who regularly go more than 25 mph over the limit—are more prevalent than ever on American roadways, and more than 12,000 deaths occur each year in speeding-related traffic crashes. More than 1 in 5 of Ohio’s traffic deaths are in speeding-related crashes. Learn how to harness enforcement, technology, and community collaboration to curtail speeding and protect other road users.

As Ohio’s driver training laws and landscape change, communities must come together to ensure students are able to complete driver training, obtain a driver’s license, and access education and workforce opportunities. This session will outline some of the most recent developments in Ohio’s driver training structure, and how stakeholders in Cuyahoga County are addressing challenges for local students in their community. Attendees will leave with best practices and actionable takeaways that they can apply in their own communities.

Panel will share a multi-agency action plan for managing incidents in the I-70 contraflow construction zone in Franklin County. Panelists from OSHP, ODOT TMC, construction engineering, dispatch, and towing discuss strategies including strategic positioning, TRIP incentive programs, First Response vehicles, wrecker coordination, and technology monitoring. Attendees will learn replicable protocols for pre-incident mitigation, rapid response, on-scene coordination, and continuous improvement applicable to high-risk work zones statewide.

People v. Rebecca Grossman is a landmark 2024 California criminal case where a prominent socialite was convicted of second-degree murder for a 2020 high-speed hit-and-run that killed two young brothers, Mark (11) and Jacob (8) Iskander, in a Westlake Village crosswalk. The case drew intense national attention due to the high-profile nature of the defendant, allegations of street racing with a former MLB player, and the use of "implied malice" to elevate a fatal drunk-driving incident to a murder conviction.

Grab lunch, attend a plenary from our Day Two Keynote Speaker, and hear closing remarks from our OTSO Director/emcee.