The Tuscarawas County Health Department was recently awarded $35,000 in federal traffic safety funding from the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Traffic Safety Office.
The Tuscarawas County Health Department will use the grant funds to raise public awareness and educate the public about traffic safety issues. The funds are passed through OTSO from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to support the efforts of safety partners statewide and focus on traffic safety priority areas, including restraint use, impaired driving, motorcycle safety and youthful drivers.
This is the sixth year that the Safe Communities grant has been awarded to the Tuscarawas County Health Department. The Safe Communities Coalition is comprised of partners from various agencies and organizations in Tuscarawas County who help share educational messages and promote traffic safety.
The coalition utilized alternative methods for its community outreach and traffic safety education efforts due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It partnered with the Tuscarawas County Anti-Drug Coalition to distribute over 1,100 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” flyers to local pizza shops and grocery stores, challenged local high school students to create a public service announcement for the State Farm Distracted Driving Billboard Design Contest and partnered with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to hold their Annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” event at the Tuscarawas Valley Farmers Market.
Safe Communities reached more than 6,000 people at more than 25 events throughout the county during previous grant years.
For information: tchdnow.org/safe-communities.html
