Jerry Pigman

Jerry Pigman has served the transportation needs of the Commonwealth with Distinction for over 40 years. On January 2, 2019 Jerry retired from the Kentucky Transportation Center. Getting his start at the University of  Kentucky, Mr. Pigman earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1968. After graduating, he assumed a research engineering post in the Surveys and Exploration Section of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet while studying for an M.S. in Civil Engineering, which he received in 1971. From 1971 to 1980, he served as the head of Traffic and Safety Research in the Transportation Cabinet, a position he remained in until 1981. During his time with the Cabinet, Mr. Pigman was named the Young Engineer of the Year in 1977 by the Bluegrass Chapter of the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers. In 1981, he became the Program Manager of Traffic and Safety Research at the newly formed Kentucky Transportation Center.

He is known both in Kentucky and throughout the country as a prodigious researcher and one of the foremost experts in highway safety. In addition to highway safety, Mr. Pigman has made significant research contributions to the profession in areas as diverse as crash data analysis, crash reconstruction, traffic control devices, roadway delineation, traffic forecasting, safety evaluations of design elements, and highway design. During his career, he has been an author or co-author of over 200 research publications, over 40 of which have been peer reviewed.

For his record of excellence and contributions to the field of highway safety, he received the Federal Highway Administration’s Division Administrator’s Award for Excellence in Highway Safety in 2003, and the Staff Excellence Award from UK’s College of Engineering in 2004. In Kentucky, he is a member of the Governor’s Executive Safety Committee on Highway Safety. Mr. Pigman has also been an active member of the Transportation Research Board’s Traffic Law and Enforcement Committee for over 20 years.

Along with his work for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, he has contributed to a number of national-level studies, acting as a consultant or principal investigator on several NCHRP projects. Although Mr. Pigman’s personal achievements are numerous, arguably his most significant contribution has been performing salient and timely work that has sought to better understand the most critical determinants of highway safety, and to make that knowledge accessible so it could be applied to improve the safety of roadway users.

Jerry Pigman is a quiet and humble person and he endeavors to always improve transportation in the Commonwealth and beyond. Most importantly, he has committed his professional career to making our highways safer for all travelers. Jerry never seeks any credit for the outstanding work he does, yet he’s a model for how to be a great servant leader.