There were more than 35,000 transportation fatalities in the United States in 2012. With transportation safety in need of major improvements, Penn State is hosting a conference at the Penn Stater to discuss how to eliminate fatalities and improve safety in the future.

The conference, which will run from December 9 through the 11, will cover a variety of topics  for its 500 attendees. The four main topics of discussion will be design, operations, safety, and planning. Transportation experts will look at different areas of improvement in addition to many keynote speakers who will present on the material.

“Safety continues to be a concern, and we’re looking for better methods to identify and deal with problems, and better ways to assess whether changes are working,” said Dr. Martin Pietrucha, director of the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute at Penn State.

Experts will use case studies to evaluate new and improved safety options. The hope of the conference is to educate and encourage all in attendance to make beneficial and necessary changes in their home towns.

There will also be sessions focused around the issues of autonomous vehicles, safe driver’s focus on drug impaired drivers, and saving lives on local roads, which will show how states and agencies can work together more efficiently.

For more information, you can visit the conference’s website.