By Faith Peppers and Janet Rodekohr

University of Georgia

When the nightly newscast begins, “Yet another deadly crash
takes
the lives of area teens…” it strikes fear in the heart of
parents.

The Georgia Extension Service is working to make the roads and
our own cars safer through the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention
Institute.

Seat belt and child safety seat
education

GTIPI recently received a $1-million grant from the Governor’s
Office of Highway Safety. The grant will be used to expand its
education and training program in the use of safety belts and
child safety seats. The $1-million grant, the largest in the
18-year history of the partnership between UGA and GOHS, was
established to help reduce traffic-related injuries and
fatalities statewide.

It will allow the institute to enhance its educational impact
in
three areas: passenger safety, young driver education, and
community traffic safety programming. Onsite education will be
conducted at the institute’s facilities in Conyers. Programs
will include the 32-hour Child Passenger Safety Training advanced
class and youth programming in bike helmet and pedestrian safety.

Outreach education will also be delivered by regional
coordinators across Georgia through such community events as
Injury Prevention Caravans and Traffic Enforcement Networks.
GTIPI’s Resource Center will be the primary source statewide for
print and electronic educational injury prevention resources for
consumers, educators and other professionals.

“This program is the primary resource in the state for public
information and professional training on the use of safety belts
and child safety seats,” said Don Bower, a UGA Extension Service
human development specialist. Bower serves as project director
and liaison between the institute and the extension service.

The program reaches virtually every Georgian with media
information encouraging the correct and consistent use of these
safety devices. In 2001, educators in the program conducted 280
child safety seat checks and provided more than 18,000 hours of
training, helping to increase child safety seat use by Georgians
to 85 percent.

Aiming to reduce teen driver deaths

Car crashes are the leading killer of children and young
adults.
And vehicle crashes cost society more than $150 billion annually,
according to GOHS.

The January 1, 2002, change in Georgia’s teen driving laws
puts
parents squarely in the passenger’s seat. It requires that anyone
younger than 18 who applies for a permanent driver’s license must
have a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult sign a
verification form affirming that the applicant has completed
either 40 hours of supervised driving experience or 20 hours if
the applicant has successfully completed an approved driver
education course.

“No parents surveyed reported that they felt adequately
prepared
to teach their teenager to drive,” Jones said. “This course is
designed to help fill this void. It will help parents and their
new teen driver learn what they need to do during those 40 hours
of driving time. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the risks of
youth-related car crashes.”

Rockdale County is first

A pilot program in Rockdale County will address beginning teen
drivers and their parents. Frankie Jones, GTIPI teen driving
specialist, has announced a two-hour seminar for parents and
teens called Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Reducing
Incidents of Driver Error).

The Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E. classes will complement
the Rockdale County driver’s education program. The program will
help parents and guardians become more aware of their own driving
behaviors, teach parents and guardians how to help their teens
become safer drivers, help parents, guardians and teens learn
what they need to do during the supervised practice driving time
and alter attitudes and driving behaviors of novice teen
drivers.

Jones said the Conyers area was chosen to pilot the program
for
several reasons. The GTIPI state office has just moved to the
Conyers location so the seminar will build awareness of all their
programs.

“Rockdale County is a suburban area, which offers unique
driving
situations and problems for first-time drivers,” Jones said. “We
are also pleased to be collaborating with the schools on this
project. They have been very interested and helpful.”

After the pilot is completed and some fine-tuning is made, the
group hopes to offer the PRIDE program statewide. “We will use
the train-the-trainer mode,” said Bower, “so it may take take
several months to get trainers prepared in many counties.”

GTIPI staff and some selected extension service agents may
serve
as presenters, as well as local collaborators such as public
safety personnel and educators.

Coordinators located across the state

There are eight GTIPI regional coordinators around the state
in
local extension service offices. They work in cluster areas of
six counties each. In addition to PRIDE, the coordinators will
provide 32-hour Standardized Child Passenger Safety Technician
certification training courses about 25 times this year across
Georgia. GTIPI will also maintain a database of names of those
who are certified in Georgia and help parents find a qualified
person close by to help them learn to install their child safety
seat correctly. GTIPI staff will also offer child passenger
safety training for childcare providers.