The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and General Motors (GM) are investing more than $250,000 in new funding to support creative new ways to prevent distracted driving.
As part of the initiative grants of $100,000 each have been awarded to the State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO) in Maryland and Missouri to fund local distracted driving prevention programs.
A third grant has been awarded to Youthcast Media Group (YMG) to help expand its successful initiative where youth journalists develop news stories and social media highlighting how distracted driving endangers everyone on the road.
In Maryland, the grant will help expand the state’s ‘Local Heroes’ campaign to highlight the negative impacts of distracted driving. Originally focused on seat belt use, the campaign brings together state and local law enforcement and emergency services personnel to help prevent crashes and reduce the number of serious injuries.
In Missouri the Department of Transportation with partners AAA and Cambridge Mobile Telematics, will use telematics data to further the state’s effort in preventing distracted driving. MoDOT will use real-time data and behavioral analysis to gauge the success of distracted driving countermeasures as well as identify regions of the state where more attention is needed.
GHSA also is partnering with YMG, a nonprofit that supports high school and college students writing about and reporting on often overlooked health and social issues. YMG will work with student journalists to show the personal toll of distracted driving through profiles of victims and their families.
“Distracted driving is one of the most vexing roadway safety issues the US has ever faced,” said GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins.
“Everyone says it’s a danger, but far too many people admit to doing it when they’re behind the wheel. That must change. GHSA and GM are building on our previous successes by working with states to try new, local prevention initiatives, giving youth the skills to help educate their peers about the danger, and tapping influencers who can reach new audiences with the safe-driving message.”
