With nearly 90 percent of roads in Wisconsin maintained by local governments, the role of county and municipal employees around the state in keeping this infrastructure healthy is critical.
 
Working in less-than-ideal conditions, from clearing snow in blizzards to filling potholes mere feet from speeding traffic, it is an extremely dangerous and important job that impacts nearly every Wisconsin citizen.  Without them, our state would literally come to a grinding halt. 
 
To provide ongoing enrichment and safety training for county and municipal highway employees, the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (County Mutual), the insurance carrier for counties in the state, on June 8 sponsored the 2010 Highway Safety ROADeo in Wisconsin Dells.

The event was held at the Kalahari Resort and although conditions were less than ideal with rainy weather and cool temperatures, the day was a successful opportunity for highway employees to have a full day of enrichment and safety training.
 
Attendees of the County Mutual's 2010 Highway Safety ROADeo took part in the following events: redesigned driver skills course, vehicle inspection, written exam, tire care, maintenance and safety, and other educational sessions and speakers.
 
In addition to county and municipal highway employees, county board supervisors, county and municipal representatives, and highway committee members attended the event.

The 2010 winners include: first place: Nicholas Gnas, Milwaukee County; second place: Tyson Barnes, Jefferson County; third place: Clyde Taylor, Milwaukee County; fourth place: John Roche, Columbia County.

"The 2010 Highway ROADeo is a perfect example of how the County Mutual is unique and goes above and beyond in our training and risk management efforts," said John A. Dirkse, Aegis Corporation Executive Vice President.  "While there is an element of competition between counties and municipalities, I believe all attendees walked away winners because of a full agenda that focused on safety in their day-to-day tasks."