June 2024 Newsletter

June 17, 2024

New Partnership Aims to Enhance Traffic Safety

Ohio employers are set to benefit from a new initiative aimed at enhancing traffic safety, thanks to a pioneering collaboration between the National Safety Council’s Our Driving Concern program, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). This joint effort aims to establish a unified employer driving program focused on reducing fatalities and saving lives. 

By leveraging the influence of Ohio’s business community, the program seeks to raise awareness about the costs of crashes and provide accessible solutions for employers to implement. The initiative calls upon business leaders to commit to being part of the solution, utilizing turnkey resources provided by Our Driving Concern with support from federal funding facilitated by OTSO. ODOT is also offering consultant assistance to support these efforts.

To support this initiative, Our Driving Concern has created an Employer Safety Advisory Committee, featuring representatives from diverse industries and organizations such as the Ohio State Chamber, Ohio CAT, Nationwide Insurance, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and more. This board will offer invaluable insights and expertise, ensuring the program aligns with broader state objectives. The comprehensive strategy includes training and educating employers, employees, and program partners on safe driving behaviors, increasing awareness of crash dangers and contributing factors, and forming partnerships within strategic priority areas identified by OTSO. With Ohio employers facing approximately $2.4 million in annual costs due to traffic crashes, the urgency for this initiative is clear.

The program will roll out in stages, initially focusing on reducing distracted driving and promoting seat belt use. As the program develops, additional initiatives will be introduced to combat impaired driving and educate young drivers. These focus areas align with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Ohio Traffic Safety Council. Our Driving Concern also plans to launch additional web resources for employers and their employees, reinforcing Ohio’s commitment to traffic safety and helping businesses create safer working environments and reduce crash-related expenses.

If you are interested in joining our advisory committee, please contact Tracy LeMaire at [email protected]. 

Free of Risk

Traditionally, the Fourth of July holiday period is one of the most exciting times of the summer season. We celebrate America’s independence with backyard pool parties and fireworks that light up the night sky. Let’s also celebrate the opportunity to keep each other safe:

  • At work
  • On the road
  • In the community

Let’s focus on impairment-related safety issues. Here are three ways you can work to keep your employees and their family members safe this summer.

At Work

Join us for Workplace Impairment Training, delivered virtually or in-person. You’ll be guided through realistic scenarios and practice activities designed to help you recognize and respond to the many types of impairment, whether from alcohol, drugs, fatigue or mental distress.

Take what you learn back to your location, and support worker-wellbeing.

On the Road

Help raise awareness of risks associated with drug-impaired and drunk driving. More than 2,225 people were killed in crashes nationwide during the Fourth of July period from 2018-2022, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s nearly 450 holiday-driving crash deaths every year. That’s why it is so important to prioritize road safety.

  • Drivers accounted for more than 1,400 of those fatalities
  • 39% of those drivers were drunk

Further, a NHTSA study found 26% of drivers seriously injured or killed in crashes in the U.S. from 2019 to 2021 had THC, the mind-altering chemical found in marijuana, in their system.

Encourage everyone on your team to make plans for a safe ride home from Fourth of July events. Designate a sober driver or arrange to be picked up if you’re attending a party where alcohol is served. Impairment begins with the first drink. Share these free resources to increase your public outreach efforts.

In the Community

Be a safety ambassador. Stock your toolbox and promote a culture of safety:

  • Seat belt safety: Buckle up in the front seat and the back seat, on short trips or long journeys. Download and play this one-minute video during a safety meeting or post the video on your intranet site.
  • Speeding: Display this safety poster, Can You Afford It.
  • Distracted driving: Get this poster to focus on the three main types of distraction (available in English or Spanish).
  • Pedestrians: Improve pedestrian safety awareness and education with the Your Move Campaign Toolkit.

This year, on the Fourth of July, be sure to light a path forward with safety.

Survey Says…

New survey findings released by the National Safety Council show it’s not just the U.S. Department of Transportation and traffic safety advocates that support a Safe System Approach to roadway safety – the public does too. 

Conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute through a Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grant, the survey examined the beliefs of adults in the U.S. related to the Safe System Approach and various safety-related concepts, including roadway use behavior and perceptions of road safety and safety strategies. The survey revealed that most participants recognized the effectiveness of multiple strategies to improve roadway safety under the Safe System Approach.

Another significant takeaway: Most participants agreed with the core principles of the approach, such as people make mistakes and roadway systems should be designed so mistakes are less likely to result in death or serious injury. Three more key findings:

  • Three-quarters of participants (74.9%) expressed moderate or great concern about their safety and the safety of family and friends on roads.
  • Two-thirds or more of participants supported various strategies addressing safer people, safer roads, safer speeds, safer vehicles and post-crash care.
  • Nearly 83% of participants (82.8%) supported their local government doing more to improve the safety of roads in their community.

Learn more: Survey Finds Overwhelming Support for Safe System Approach to Roadway Safety

Upcoming Free Webinar Sessions

Workplace Impairment Training

Tuesday, Aug. 6 – 8:30 a.m.-noon CT

Can you identify an impaired employee in the workplace? We offer a staff-development training course to aid your safety leaders in doing just that. Free Workplace Impairment Training explores the effects of impairment on driving and workplace performance. During each section of the training, participants will be directed to free resources designed to help raise awareness of risks associated with impairment and to promote safe behaviors. The goal is to help safety leaders better recognize and respond to these six root causes of impairment:

  • Alcohol
  • Cannabis
  • Opioid pain relief medications, including fentanyl.
  • Prescription drugs, over-the-counter meds and multi-substance use
  • Fatigue
  • Mental health
Register Here

Upcoming Events & Free Resources

Register Here