LaTara Burton’s bright smile and welcoming laugh reveal how much she enjoys her work as the Regional Highway Safety Engineer for ALDOT’s West Central Region.
For 15 years, Burton has actively worked to improve ALDOT maintained roadways. She began her journey as a student at the University of Alabama where she gained experience through ALDOT’s Professional Civil Engineer Trainee (PCET) program, and eventually moved to her current role where she’s served for the past five and a half years.
“We want to make our roads as safe as possible,” Burton said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve and how we can get motorists to reach their destinations easier.”
Her primary goal is to enhance road safety for all motorists by analyzing crash data. She, along with other engineers, use the Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS) program that was developed in collaboration with the University of Alabama to maintain a comprehensive record of collisions. Recent advancements in crash data reporting now allow for more detailed reports and filtering by severity and collision type.
In addition to data analysis, Burton reviews state funding for road projects and identifies traffic trends that require attention. She focuses on areas with high crash rates, particularly those involving pedestrians.
“With the increase in traffic, I urge everyone to do everything they can while driving to stay safe. The person at fault is typically the person hurt the worst,” Burton said.
Addressing high-risk and severe injury crashes, often occurring in rural areas with curved roads, is a major challenge. Burton proposes projects such as installing rumble strips, centerline scoring and widening lanes. Side-swiping accidents, common at left turns in intersections, are mitigated through physical barriers like concrete islands or changes in traffic signal order.
Burton continues to search for affordable and effective ways to make roadways safer.
“At the end of the day, our mission is to ensure everyone gets home safely,” Burton said. “It’s a responsibility we take very seriously, and we are constantly trying to make our roads safer.”
