The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and General Motors (GM) recently awarded two State Highway Safety Office a grant to create and evaluate local distracted driving prevention programs.
The District Highway Safety Office will develop and implement neighborhood-specific campaigns to raise awareness about the danger distracted driving poses for people outside vehicles, explore the feasibility of expanding its automated traffic enforcement program to include equipment that can detect distracted drivers, and initiate an evidence-based, peer-to-peer micromobility education program for middle school students.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission will pilot and evaluate a distracted driving prevention project in Pierce County. Pre-intervention data will be collected in 23 cities and at least three active school zones.
The agency will use this information to conduct high visibility enforcement, develop and implement community-specific distracted driving campaigns, and engage local leaders and partners in outreach efforts that promote the adoption of a positive traffic safety culture. The agency also will evaluate the project’s effectiveness to determine the feasibility of using federal funding to implement it statewide.
A third grant was awarded to Youthcast Media Group, a nonprofit that trains high school and college students from underserved communities, to support youth journalists highlight the dangers of distracted driving.