New Trends, Resources, and Applications | The Future of Nebraska\u27s Data

Many Nebraska organizations are doing excellent work in the field of data visualization and improving access to data. This session will highlight some of this work, including portals and dashboards that present data quickly and easily. See live demonstrations of various useful products from: Nebraska Department of Labor, Omaha Community Foundation, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, and our own Center for Public Affairs Research

Migration Data and Brain Train Trends and Impacts Panel Discussion

Nebraska has historically suffered from a net outmigration of residents. In more recent decades, while the state has been able to achieve net inmigration overall, it still has net losses domestically with other states, specifically among non-Hispanic Whites and those with higher education. This has led to a shortage of skilled workers in key fields, an issue cited repeatedly as a top concern for area businesses and policy makers. See the numbers and trends, learn the strengths and weaknesses of various data sources and ways to analyze this issue, and the impacts that outmigration has. Our panel of experts includes those most closely tracking and studying this topic, so learn and benefit from their key insight

Driver education and teen crashes and traffic violations in the first two years of driving in a graduated licensing system

Our primary research question was whether teens obtaining their intermediate-level provisional operators permit (POP) in a graduated driver licensing (GDL) environment through driver education differed in crashes and traffic violations from teens who obtained their POP by completing a supervised driving certification log without taking driver education. A descriptive epidemiological study examining a census of all teen drivers in Nebraska (151,880 teens, 48.6% girls, 51.4% boys) during an eight year period from 2003 to 2010 was conducted. The driver education cohort had significantly fewer crashes, injury or fatal crashes, violations, and alcohol-related violations than the certification log cohort in both years one and two of driving following receipt of the POP. Hierarchical logistic regression was conducted, controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, median household income, urban–rural residence, and age receiving the POP. In both year one and two of driving, teens in the certification log cohort had higher odds of a crash, injury or fatal crash, violation, or alcohol-related violation. Findings support that relative to a supervised driving certification log approach, teens taking driver education are less likely to be involved in crashes or to receive a traffic violation during their first two years of driving in an intermediate stage in a graduated driver licensing system. Because teen crash and fatality rates are highest at ages 16–18, these reductions are especially meaningful. Driver education appears to make a difference in teen traffic outcomes at a time when risk is highest