Traffic Safety

ON THIS PAGE: About | Buckle up | Drive sober | Drive focused | Share the Road

Safe Communities Coalition

Since 1989, the Safe Communities Coalition (SCC) has worked to reduce injuries and deaths on Lorain County roads through community initiatives that involve engineering, enforcement and education. SCC members represent businesses, law enforcement, healthcare agencies, local and state engineering offices, insurance agencies, and Lorain County residents. Lorain County Public Health (LCPH) coordinates and conducts SCC with our dedicated partners. To prevent traffic-related injuries and deaths, we:

• Review and analyze Lorain County crash data using OSTATS and GIS Crash Analysis Tool (GCAT).
• Raise awareness via interventions, campaigns, events, material distribution and social media.
• Educate about the importance of wearing a seat belt, driving sober, driving focused, and the safety of people walking, biking, or on motorcycles.
• Facilitate the Traffic Fatality Review Committee, which reviews local fatal vehicle crashes to identify trends and develop possible countermeasures and interventions to prevent similar crashes.

SCC is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through a grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

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Buckle Up

Make it a habit - wear your seat belt every trip, every time - and make sure all passengers are buckled before you put the car in drive. Schedule a car seat appointment. Spread the word with Buckle Up Every Trip Every Time campaign materials.

Buckle Up for a Cup and Buckle Up for Burgers are interactive community-awareness activities. Throughout the year, we partner with local Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s locations to encourage unsuspecting drive-thru customers to buckle up. Buckled customers are rewarded with a coupon for a free hamburger, apple slices, or cup of coffee. Unbuckled customers will get a reminder from a member of the SCC. Buckle up and you might be rewarded!

The Buckle Up Bowl is a student-led competition that empowers high school students to impact the driving habits of their classmates, friends, and family. Students compete for most improved seat belt rate, most creative campaign, and best buckled high school in Lorain County. This initiative takes place annually in the spring.  

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Drive Sober

Sober driving makes a difference for everyone who calls Lorain County home. It reduces injury, crashes and costs. Driving impaired can lead to hefty fines, legal fees, missed work, death, grief for loved ones, car insurance rate increases, vehicle repair costs and medical bills. If you choose to drink alcohol outside your home, keep everyone on Lorain County roads safe:

• Ask a sober friend or family member to drive.
• Order a ride using an app like Lyft or Uber or call a taxi.
• Be the designated driver - enjoy a zero proof drink.
• See a drunk driver? Call 911 or dial #677.
• Planning a party? Use one of the designated driver zero proof recipes to treat your DD to a special drink.

Since 2001, SCC has hosted the annual Zero Proof Mix Off competition. Hundreds of people attend to sample zero-proof concoctions and take home a recipe book to mix up sober options during the holiday party season. The event provides a unique and effective opportunity to connect with potential clients and customers while supporting safe driving behaviors. All drink recipes from participating mixer groups will be featured in a Party Drinks for Designated Drivers Recipe Book – free to pick up at the event and from local Discount Drug Mart locations following the event. The event’s purpose is to increase awareness of sober driving and zero-proof holiday drink options. There is no registration fee to enter a drink, and no cost to attend. Download Party Drinks for Designated Drivers from past Zero Proof Mix Off events: 

Does your establishment or event serve or sell alcohol? SCC can provide customized bathroom posters and zero-proof menus at no cost. Use your own zero-proof recipes or choose some from the Zero Proof Designated Driver Recipe Books. 

Contact us at healthed@LorainCountyHealth.com to order customized materials.

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Drive Focused

Any non-driving activity that happens in a vehicle increases the risk of being in a crash. Dangerous distractions include eating, reading, changing the music, putting on makeup, checking social media, texting, responding to emails, and making phone calls. Driving distracted can cause crashes that result in injury, death, embarrassment, fines, legal fees, car insurance rate increases, medical costs, and repair bills. Tips to drive focused:

• Put your phone on do not disturb or silent mode before driving.
• Pull over to make calls or to text.
• If the driver gets distracted, speak up. Offer to send a text or navigate the GPS for the driver.

The Teen Driver Safety Billboard Contest hosted annually by State Farm® and the SCC. This Contest challenges Lorain County high school students to create a billboard design to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. A panel of judges will choose a first place winner and a runner-up based on: creativity, originality, and how well the design communicates the importance of driving focused. The first place winning student receives a gift card prize, and the winning design will be featured on Lorain County billboards. The referring teacher of the winning student receives a gift card prize for their school for classroom improvements and the runner-up receives a gift card prize.

 

Share the Road 

When it comes to safe roads and creating safer communities, we encourage drivers to share the road. It's important that drivers give extra attention to watch out for people who travel by foot, bicycle and motorcycle. However you travel in Lorain County, know and follow the rules of road. Check out these tips: 

Drivers: 

• Look out for pedestrians everywhere, at all times when driving.
• Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or otherwise entering a crosswalk. 
• Be extra cautious when backing up and look for pedestrians and when driving in hard-to-see conditions, such as nighttime or bad weather. 
• Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and stop well back from the crosswalk to give other vehicles an opportunity to see the crossing pedestrians so they can stop too.
• Follow the speed limit, especially in school zones and in neighborhoods.

Motorcyclists:

• Ride defensively, drive sober, and pay attention to the road at all times.
• Attend a Motorcycle Ohio training - call 800-837-4337 for details.
• Gear up when riding. Your gear is “right” if it protects you. In any crash, you have a far better chance of avoiding serious injury if you wear DOT compliant gear - helmet, face or eye protection, and protective clothing such as a jacket, sturdy boots or shoes and gloves.

Bicyclists: 

• Wear a well-fitting helmet.
• Ride with the flow, in the same direction as traffic.
• Watch for pedestrians.
• Pass pedestrians by announcing "on your left" or "passing on your left" or use a bell. 
• Increase visibility by wearing bright colors during the day and use reflective gear (white front light and red rear light) in the night or when weather conditions are poor. 

 Pedestrians: 

• Walk on sidewalks, whenever they are available. 
• If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as possible. 
• Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections. 
• If a crosswalk or intersection is not available, locate a well-lit area where you have the best view of traffic. Wait for a gap in traffic that allows enough time to safely cross.
• Watch for cars entering or exiting driveways, or backing up in parking lots. 

Learn more about how LCPH works with partners to make it easier and safer to walk and bike in Lorain County. 

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Have an idea on how to improve your community?

Contact us at healthed@LorainCountyHealth.com. Check out our Safe Routes to School and Healthy Places Grant pages to learn more about how LCPH helps to better the environment to make the healthy choice the easy choice.