On the heels of National Passenger Safety week, the Northeast Coalition for Roadway Safety is accepting grant applications through Feb. 21 from area schools interested in hosting student lock-in …
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On the heels of National Passenger Safety week, the Northeast Coalition for Roadway Safety is accepting grant applications through Feb. 21 from area schools interested in hosting student lock-in events for Project prom and Project Graduation.
According to the coalition’s press release, in order to be eligible, schools must host, “a presentation or activity educating students on highway safety issues”.
“These supervised events are a way for students to safely enjoy their special event with friends,” stated Northeast District Traffic Engineer Jonathan Bruner in the press release. "Impaired or distracted driving can have devastating consequences, changing lives in a matter of seconds. We want these students to have positive and lasting memories of these important occasions, not tragedies."
The Northeast Coalition for Roadway Safety offers services to 17 counties and has been collaborating with high schools in the region for many years. In 2024, the coalition extended their services to include these grants.
Up to 20 local schools can receive a $200 grant to cover event expenses such as location rentals, food, entertainment, travel and more.
Even without the grant, schools are welcome, and encouraged, to utilize free highway safety programs provided. One such program is provided by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
“One of our primary focuses is either teenagers who are going to be driving soon or may have just received their drivers license,” says Kyle Green, public information officer for MSHP Troop F. “We go into high schools and talk about driver education, the importance of seatbelts, the importance of not drinking and driving, avoiding distractions, and how to drive in weather conditions.”
Driver’s education, and the importance of seatbelts, may be some of the most crucial aspects of the presentation.
The preliminary 2023 teen driving statistics presented by the MO Coalition for Roadway Safety reported 133 fatalities in “teen driver involved crashes” and an estimated 77% of teen vehicle occupant fatalities were unbuckled.
In their program, Troop F uses a “seatbelt convincer” which is a device that simulates being in a crash between 5-10 mph. They also have a rollover simulator in which dummies experience rollover conditions, unbuckled, with the windows down.
“It’s about as close as we can get to the real thing in terms of demonstrating the importance of a seatbelt without actually having to drive around with students,” explains Green, who has seen his fair share of dummies ejected from vehicles.
MSHP troop F is not the only local program available. More resources can be found on the Northeast Coalition for Roadway Safety’s resource flyer which is available on their website.
Interested schools and/or their sponsors can submit an application online by visiting Project Prom-Graduation Grant | Missouri Department of Transportation (modot.org).
For additional information, contact Northeast Coalition Facilitator Gerri Jeffries at (573) 248-2502 or Northeast Coalition Representative Tina Lee at (573) 248-2517, or visit the Northeast Coalition’s website at: www.savemolives.com/mcrs/Northeast-Region.