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LCHD awarded $42,000 in traffic safety grant, federal funds will help save lives in Licking County
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10/08/15 LICKING COUNTY, OHIO – The Licking County Health Department (LCHD) was awarded $42,000 in federal traffic safety funding from the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s (ODPS) Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) for fiscal year 2016. This traffic safety grant allows LCHD to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to support the efforts of safety partners statewide, and focus on traffic safety priority areas such as seat belt use, impaired driving, motorcycle safety and youthful drivers.
Competitive grant proposals are accepted and reviewed by OTSO each year. The 2016 competitive grant process solicited grant proposals from state agencies, non-profit organizations, colleges, universities, hospitals, political subdivisions and other interested groups within selected Ohio counties and jurisdictions based upon their number of fatal crashes.
Based on data, LCHD has identified restraint use, impaired driving and motorcycle safety as priority areas for the upcoming grant year. The LCHD Safe Communities Coalition uses the awarded funds to promote safe driving education and raise awareness throughout the community. To save lives and make roads safer in Licking County, LCHD will use the grant funds to provide school educational outreach, participate in community events countywide, distribute traffic safety educational materials to local residents, and set up educational booths at local fairs and events, including the Hartford Fair.
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“Partnerships are critical to the success of any safety effort and we are committed to working with our communities and partners on the Safe Communities Coalition to address traffic safety concerns in Licking County,” said Licking County Health Commissioner Joe Ebel.
The Safe Communities Coalition consists of local law enforcement agencies, emergency personnel, county engineering and community members who meet monthly to collaborate efforts and resources toward decreasing motor-vehicle crashes and fatalities in Licking County.
“The overwhelming majority of motor-vehicle crashes are preventable. It is imperative that everyone on the road is practicing safe driving behaviors,” said Carrie Minor, LCHD Safe Communities Coordinator and Health Educator. “The funds we receive from ODPS go toward ensuring community members are educated about safe driving and are aware of the traffic safety issues in our county.”
If you are interested in joining the Safe Communities Coalition, meetings are held at noon on the third Wednesday of each month in the Unity Board Room of the Health Department. For more information about OTSO and statewide efforts to improve safety on Ohio’s roadways, visit http://ohiohighwaysafetyoffice.ohio.gov/.
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“The Licking County Health Department serves more than 160,000 citizens in the Licking County General Health District by preventing disease, protecting the environment and promoting healthy lifestyles with a vision of healthy people living in healthy communities.”
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