Six Organizations Awarded Technical Assistance to Educate Public about Lifesaving Benefits of Roadway Safety Features
WASHINGTON, DC (December 11, 2008) – The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) today announced the six winners of its Safer Roads: Building Safety into Your Drive public information and education campaign.
The following organizations will receive technical assistance in amounts ranging from $15,000 to $75,000 to undertake public information and education campaigns to raise awareness of the safety benefits and the need for infrastructure and engineering roadway safety improvements:
South Carolina Department of Transportation for a campaign to educate the public about the safety benefits of paved shoulders and rumble strips;
University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration and the Delaware Center for Transportation for a campaign to educate local officials and the public about the importance of roadway modifications to make roads safer for older drivers;
Michigan Department of Transportation to draw attention to the benefits of installing cable barriers along freeway medians;
Utah Department of Transportation for a campaign to map a rural road network for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s usRAP (Road Assessment Program) which will work dually as a public resource and roadway improvement guide;
Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) of the Michigan Technological University for a campaign to educate Native Americans about the importance of road safety features, and
Cook County (MN) Highway Department for a campaign to highlight the importance of roadway safety interventions, and
“Along with substantial progress in improving vehicles and driver performance over the years, significant progress is being made to assure that the nation’s roadways are as safe as they can and should be,” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of RSF. “But challenges remain; and the good news is that we know what works. RSF looks forward to working with these six winning communities to publicize significant roadway safety countermeasures and make the case for such engineering solutions as national safety priorities in the future.”
The campaign is funded through a grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and was developed to raise awareness of the safety benefits and the need for infrastructure and engineering roadway safety improvements. Panel judges included representatives of RSF, FHWA, AARP and AAA.
“The FHWA is proud to award these projects and congratulates the winners,” said Federal Highway Administrator Thomas J. Madison. “Raising awareness of safety issues, as well as a combination of engineering, education, enforcement and emergency medical services, are essential to reducing highway fatalities.”
The Roadway Safety Foundation Technical Assistance applicants were evaluated on the following criteria:
- Identification of a safety problem/need with supporting data
- Impact of solution with specific goals and objectives
- Action plan to make the public aware of the problem and solution
- Ability to use existing partnerships and contacts that would serve a key role in reaching target audience, community leaders, and the older motoring public
- Plan to measure the results of campaign efforts
- “AARP is pleased to help Americans understand the importance of road safety,” said AARP Senior Vice President for Livable Communities Elinor Ginzler. “By 2030, one in four drivers will be age 65+. Road design and construction and good signage and lighting will be as important to their safety as their cars and driving behavior.”
- “AAA is pleased to be involved in this project. Significant gains in road safety will require improvements on all fronts – the road, the vehicle and the driver,” said Jill Ingrassia, AAA managing director of government relations and traffic safety advocacy. “The technical assistance made possible through the Roadway Safety Foundation project will help educate the public on the important role infrastructure and engineering improvements play in motorist safety. The grant recipients will demonstrate a variety of solutions that can be applied to addressing road safety. We are hopeful these initiatives will prove successful in their local areas and can be applied on a much wider basis going forward.”
- The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) is the only national organization solely dedicated to reducing deaths by improving the physical characteristics of America’s roadways - design and engineering, operating conditions, removal of roadside hazards, and the effective use of safety features. RSF works to attain its goals by building awareness through media campaigns and outreach activities, developing educational materials and forming roadway safety partnerships between the private and public sectors. It is a private non-profit 501(c) (3) organization chartered in 1997 by the American Highway Users Alliance.
For additional information on RSF please visit www.roadwaysafety.org.