The goal of the Safe Communities program is to decrease traffic-related fatalities and injuries and associated costs, increase safety awareness and increase the number of people involved in keeping our community safe.
The Ohio Traffic Safety Organization (OTSO) seeks Safe Communities programs that provide countywide efforts.
The national Safe Communities model, which Ohio has adopted includes the following four components:
- Data collection and analysis
- Coalition building
- Traffic safety strategies
- Evaluation
Traffic injury is the most common cause of hospitalization and the leading cause of death for persons under age 40. It affects us all -- drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. It costs millions of dollars in health care and social support resources. Being aware of the effects of traffic injuries and how to prevent crashes from occurring is more than half the battle.
One goal of the Safe Communities program is to achieve a better understanding of motor vehicle related injuries and associated costs within our own community and how they impact each community's overall injury problem.
Safe Communities program will provide a chance to reduce the number of crashes and injuries. Being aware of the problems and focusing on ways of preventing traffic crashes will benefit all of our lives.
Safe Communities programs work with law enforcement agencies, local governments, schools, businesses, health departments, and community and advocacy organizations to reduce traffic injuries. These programs also actively work with medical, acute care and rehabilitation centers. All groups need to be engaged as integral partners in preventing injuries.
Partnerships and leadership are the foundation for making an injury prevention program work. Safe Communities is your springboard to cut down on injuries and their related costs in Stark County.
The Seatbelt Challenge is an annual event held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is a fun day set aside for area teenagers to promote wearing seatbelts and driving responsibly.
Area high schools enter two four-person teams (a football team and a cheerleader team) that will compete in timed obstacle races. Half of each team wears "Fatal Vision Goggles", which simulate alcohol impairment. Part of the obstacle course requires buckling-up a seat belt in a National Guard Humvee. The winning teams carry home a large rotation trophy to be proudly displayed at their school for a year.
Adult teams are also included in the fun. Among the adult teams who participated in 2009 were the Stark County Sheriff's Office, the Perry Police Department, the Louisville Police Department, the Aultman Health Foundation, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Canton City Health Department.
Other activities included a football toss, deejay from local radio station, DARE and police vehicles, Aultman Hospital WOW vehicle, the National Guard's rock wall and informational displays.
High school participants were eligible for some great door prizes and winning teams were also given tickets to Cedar Point. All participants received a goody bag that included a T-shirt, free pass to Sluggers and Putters, a travel mug, admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and other items. Participants and spectators who signed a seat belt pledge card were eligible for free drawings of gas cards, restaurant gift certificates, and other prizes. Participants were treated to free pizza. Spectators were treated to free popcorn and cotton candy. Winners of the vertical jump contest were provided with memberships to the Aultman Fitness Center.
The winning teams in 2009 were the Central Catholic Cheerleaders, the Central Catholic Football team and the Perry Police Department. Congratulations to the winners and to all who participated in this important event!
The leading cause of death for teenagers is vehicle crashes. Low seatbelt use is one of the principal reasons why the teen driver and the teen passenger traffic fatality rate remain high. It is estimated that thousands of lives are saved each year by something as simple as taking 3 seconds to fasten a seat belt. According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety alcohol-impaired drivers are involved in approximately 38% of all fatal crashes on Ohio's roadways. This is why this event is so important to Stark County and why as a community we are dedicated to educating our drivers on safe driving practices.
We would like to give a special THANK YOU to all of our generous sponsors and partners who helped to make this event possible and a success.
Partners:
- Army National Guard
- Aultman Health Foundation
- Canton Chair and Table
- Canton City Health Department
- OVI Task Force
- Perry Police Department
- Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Q92 Radio
- Stark County Sheriff's Office
Sponsors:
- State Farm Insurance
- Ohio Dept of Public Safety
- Stark County Police Chief's Association
- Stark County Safety Council
- Louisville Police Dept
- Rachael Chandler-Head State Farm Agent
- Esber Beverage Company
- Pizza Oven
- Perry Adult Booster Club
- Sluggers & Putters
Seatbelts save lives!!!
Stark County Safe Communities is happy to announce several new driving programs that will be available to the community to help address traffic safety. These programs were purchased for Safe Communities by the Stark County Sheriff’s Office and the Louisville Police Department and will be used to educate teens and adults alike on the dangers of impaired driving, distracted driving and other unsafe driving decisions.
Start Smart Vehicle-Impaired Driving Simulator
These programs include the START SMART vehicle, which is a battery powered vehicle that simulates the effects of impairment from alcohol and other drugs on a motorist’s driving skills. This highly interactive vehicle operates in two modes, normal and impaired. In the impaired mode the vehicle reacts with delayed steering, braking and acceleration, simulating the effects of a vehicle being driven by an impaired driver. This experience helps the driver to identify first-hand with the potentially deadly consequences of alcohol and other drugs on their driving ability.
Intoxiclock - Blood Alcohol Calculator (BAC)
Also available is the Intoxiclock (an interactive Blood Alcohol Calculator) which can be used at schools, colleges and businesses to educate participants about impairment and B.A.C. It illustrates how factors such as time, weight, gender and the number of drinks all play a role in a person’s impairment level thus personalizing a scenario for each participant. It counts down in real time the metabolizing of the alcohol giving participants a real sense of how long it takes a body to eliminate alcohol. This program will not only be beneficial for the general public, but also a useful tool for businesses whose employees drive company cars or operate machinery. This program demonstrates the fact that the B.A.C. of employees who have been out celebrating at night may still be elevated when reporting to work the next day. Should they be subject to random drug testing or in the case of an accident, mandatory testing, this elevated B.A. C. could have a negative effect on their employment.
One Simple Decision - Virtual Driver Simulator
ONE SIMPLE DECISION Simulation-based impaired and distracted driving program designed to prevent destructive driving behaviors among teens and young adults. This innovative technology presents participants with a first person account of the real life consequences of distracted and impaired driving. Uses high definition video scenes, thought-provoking questions and cutting edge gaming technology to engage participants. Suitable for classroom or event use.
The One Simple Decision Virtual Driver was made possible by a grant from State Farm Insurance.
Fatal Reflections: Safe Driving Decisions
The Fatal Reflections program allows you to choose a traffic crash scenario and overlay the specific facial injuries received in the crash onto the image of the participant and then create a multi-media presentation that includes a custom news story that includes personal details of the participant. It also prepares a dramatization of the after effects from the crash, such as injuries sustained, legal consequences, financial burdens and the emotional impact they may experience. These presentations can then be printed for the participants or e-mailed to them or their friends. This is also a program that is good for an event or classroom use.
Brake Reaction Timer
Interactive program that measures participants brake reaction time effectively demonstrating the impact of alcohol and distractions on driving ability. Participants are put through the program once to get normal reaction time and then again while using cell phone to demonstrate how distractions slow reaction time.
Walk the Line & Fatal Vision
One fun and educational program we received was the Walk the Line Detector which can be used in conjunction with the Fatal Vision Goggles. While participants are wearing Fatal Vision Goggles you can put them through the standard sobriety test. There is a sensor in the line that they walk so that when they step off the line custom messages play from the public address speaker system included. This message can be a sound of a crash, ambulance or police siren, or any pre-recorded message of choice.
Fatal Reaction: Impaired/Distracted Driving
The Fatal Reaction/Distracted Driving is another exciting program that is now available. This provides a hands-on engaging activity that dramatically demonstrates the dangers of distracted and impaired driving. It clearly demonstrates that our ability to focus on a task decreases with each new task we add. This program can be used where minimal space is available and with individuals or groups.
Request a Program for your Organization!
These exciting new programs will be made available to schools, colleges, businesses, and community organizations when appropriate free of charge on a first come basis. For more information on these programs or Safe Communities please contact Suzanne Snyder at (330) 430-3835 or [email protected] or return the request form to Safe Communities—4500 Atlantic Blvd. NE Canton, OH 44705 Attn: Suzanne Snyder.
Request Form
Please view the instructional safety videos provided below.