Remarks for Secretary Tippett
N.C. Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association Luncheon
Hilton Wilmington Riverside
April 1, 2006
INTRODUCTION
Thank you, Judge Cobb, for that introduction.
I am pleased to be here today because like each of you, I have the safety and interest of North Carolina's motorists at heart.
With an increasing number of drivers on our highways each year, the educational service you provide is essential to the safety of motorists throughout North Carolina.
I want to thank each of you for your dedication to equipping our young and new drivers with the knowledge and skills they need to safely navigate our roadways.
Your efforts are one of the most effective resources we have for protecting our state's motorists.
The skills taught in driver's education provide an important foundation for our citizens to be safe drivers throughout their lifetimes.
EFFORTS TO ADDRESS GROWTH AND HIGHWAY SAFETY
In addition, you are helping to uphold the North Carolina Department of Transportation's central mission to provide a safe, modern and integrated transportation system.
Our state is growing rapidly as more and more people are recognizing that North Carolina is an outstanding place to live and do business.
You know what that means for us: more motorists on the road.
To put this growth in perspective:
· North Carolina's population grew from 5 million in 1970 to 8.5 million in 2004, and is expected to grow by 4 million more in the next 25 years.
· Vehicle miles traveled more than tripled, from 30 billion in 1970 to 94 billion in 2004, and they're expected to increase 50 percent more by 2020.
While major strides have been made to help accommodate this growth, driver's education still remains one of our most important tools in ensuring highway safety.
In the past 10 years, more than 15,000 people have lost their lives on North Carolina highways due to traffic crashes.
Despite our efforts, the number of annual fatalities has remained fairly constant and decreased only slightly in recent years.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY
To address this problem and better coordinate the many safety initiatives both within and outside the department, NCDOT formed the North Carolina Executive Committee for Highway Safety in April 2003.
This group comprises transportation safety experts from across the state and is charged with developing and implementing short- and long-term sustainable strategies to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on our state's highways.
The committee is providing new and innovative ways to address highway safety through its many working groups.
Key issues include: increasing safety belt usage, keeping drivers alert, speed, lane departure and ensuring drivers are fully licensed.
As the committee strives to not only meet, but also exceed, the adopted national goal of one fatality per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by the year 2008, they will continue to need the help of educators such as you.
The keeping drivers alert working group is currently developing a campaign aimed at teen drivers about the dangers of distracted driving.
This will be a great opportunity for the committee to work with educators to promote safe driving habits among teens.
If we educate teens about good driving habits before they get behind the wheel, the chance of our message staying with them greatly increases.
I am also pleased to let you know that a driver's education working group has recently been added to the committee, and I am certain great things will come from their efforts.
We must continue to work together to enforce the measures we have in place and develop new ways to keep motorists safe on North Carolina's highways.
IN THE ZONE
Another resource the department has developed is In The Zone, an educational program aimed at improving work zone safety.
Today is the first day of Work Zone Safety Awareness Month and a good time to remember the importance of educating drivers about work zone safety.
Next week the department will debut it's new work zone safety educational video targeted at professional truck drivers at an event in Greensboro on the Greensboro Urban Loop work site.
The following week we will unveil the 2006-2007 work zone safety calendar at an elementary school in Johnston County.
The calendar showcases the top 12 posters that were submitted by students ages five to 18 that promote work zone safety.
This is a great outreach program that the department holds each year to make students aware of the possible dangers in work zones.
With more than 250 major construction work zones in North Carolina, it is essential that drivers know they need to be extra careful when driving through a work zone.
In 2004, there were 50 fatalities in North Carolina work zones, and more than half of all work zone crashes are the result of speeding and driver inattention.
The In The Zone video features NASCAR driver Todd Bodine and shares the importance of driving safely through work zones, as well as work zone driving tips for teens and new drivers.
As many of you may recall, last year our construction unit unveiled this new video package here at the conference.
A syllabus, lesson plan and other pertinent instructional information accompany the six-minute video to help facilitate the program in driver's education classrooms.
To date, we have distributed almost 1,500 kits across the state at no charge and several states across the country are using this curriculum as well.
We still have many kits available if you are interested and were unable to obtain a kit last year.
GOVERNOR'S HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM
As part of NCDOT, the Governor's Highway Safety Program also has implemented several programs aimed at teen drivers.
One of the program's most recent initiatives is the R U Buckled? campaign that is a partnership between the Governor's Highway Safety Program and local high schools.
The campaign was created to encourage safety belt usage among teenage drivers.
The first R U Buckled? campaign kicked off in 53 high schools in 16 counties in the fall of 2005 and the program is looking to expand next year.
Drivers and passengers at the participating schools are required to buckle their safety belts before leaving school property or risk losing high school parking privileges.
This spring, the program will also launch a new campaign titled No Need 2 Speed.
Studies continue to show speeding as a major cause of injury and fatality on North Carolina roadways, and the Governor's Highway Safety Program has created this initiative to encourage drivers to slow down and follow the speed limit.
I would like to thank you for your participation in these campaigns and your ongoing partnership in making these programs a success.
CONCLUSION
I've learned during my career that the success of any endeavor is directly proportional to the number of people who are involved.
There is no way that we would be able to tackle such an important task such as educating drivers without leaders like you.
I thank you for your commitment to serving and protecting our citizens.
Together we will continue to make the highways of North Carolina safer through education and awareness.
Thank you again for inviting me to join you here today.