Welcome to the Spring Edition of INROADS!
We are four months away from our 61st Annual Scientific Conference on October 15-18, 2017, with a pre-conference workshop scheduled for October 14. This year we will spend four days learning about exciting new research and interacting with leaders in automotive medicine in fabulous Las Vegas. The program will offer cutting-edge scientific sessions that reflect the multidisciplinary nature of AAAM’s membership. More details about the scientific program will be available soon on our website. We are returning to the Vdara Hotel, where we held our 54th Annual Scientific Conference in October 2010. Previous attendees liked the comfortable non-gaming atmosphere of the hotel combined with the convenience of being attached to the Bellagio Hotel and its location near other attractions. There will be many things of interest for everyone both in and after the meeting sessions. I look forward to seeing you there. Registration opens next month, so please mark your calendars.
As AAAM moves toward a new cycle of growth, our team has been working hard to advance our social media presence and message to a larger audience. Some of the ways we are accomplishing this goal are through a series of campaigns. We partnered with the FIA Foundation, National Safety Council, Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe States Alliance, Road to Zero Coalition, Child Injury Prevention Alliance, and other organizations for the #SlowDownChat, a Twitter chat that recognized the Fourth United Nations Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW), held May 8-14. Speed management was the theme of UNGRSW and the topic of discussion. During the chat, we discussed appropriate safety measures that can be applied to lower the death and injury rate caused by speeding.
The following was covered during the chat:
- Scope of the problem of speed
- Factors that contribute to speed-related injuries and deaths
- Strategies to address this issue
- Calls to action and what individuals can do
More than 150 participants contributed to the chat, and there were more than 600 tweets and 4.1 million timeline deliveries (the total number of times someone could have viewed tweets with #SlowDownChat in their feed). Overall, about 430,000 people were reached with speed-related information. Globally, the UNGRSW was a huge success. There were more than 1,000 events registered in more than 125 countries, taking place at local to national levels.
AAAM also recognized National Distracted Driving Awareness Month through social media engagement. A calendar of AAAM outreach has been created and more campaigns are being planned. Let me encourage you to join us on Twitter @AAAMFeed to continue the conversation, help strengthen our reach, and spread the word about road safety in the U.S. and globally.
We have more to share with you on the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). Training courses continue to be offered onsite and online, as well as certification opportunities to professionals who utilize AIS in their profession. More detailed information on these programs are found on the AAAM website. AAAM has established a new AIS 2015 Licensing Program, referred to as the AIS Vendor Partner Program, designed for existing vendors of trauma registry and other similar information systems that utilize AIS. AIS 2015 reflects the latest advancements and the progression of the AIS injury scoring system and incorporates the needs of its users and the current status of traumatic injury diagnosis and documentation. This AIS revision includes improved brain injury coding, spinal cord impairment coding, and enhances many code definitions by incorporating current medical terminology.
The AAAM brand promise is saving lives and eliminating road traffic injuries. I look forward to continuing to work with you to accomplish our goal. If you support AAAM’s mission and are not currently a member, connect with us by joining AAAM. Please feel free to contact us with your feedback. We want to hear from you.
Gary Smith
President of AAAM