CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 12/22/15

UGA Traffic Injury Prevention Institute awarded grant for statewide traffic safety education

By Cal Powell

Conyers, Ga. – The University of Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute has been awarded a $642,900 grant from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to continue its statewide education programs in the areas of child passenger safety, parent and teen driving safety and senior driver education.

The Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, or GTIPI, has partnered with GOHS for the past 29 years in designing and delivering education that improves driver and passenger safety across the lifespan. The institute continues to be a leading resource in traffic safety training and education in Georgia.

The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety-UGA partnership dates back to 1986. At that time, federal grant funding was awarded to states with highway safety offices for partnering with institutions of higher education to address traffic injuries with an education and enforcement approach to reducing fatalities.

In Georgia, UGA Cooperative Extension was awarded funding support to conduct educational classes for parents and caregivers on the consistent and correct use of child safety seats in all of Georgia’s 159 counties.

Originally named the Occupant Safety Education Program, the project was renamed GTIPI in 2002. The institute continues today as an outreach initiative of UGA Extension as a part of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ department of human development and family science.

Through this year’s grant award, the institute will offer four separate training and community education initiatives: the National Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification Program, Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error), CarFit for senior drivers and the Online Safety Store.

Each program area delivers adult education for consumers, safety professionals and community volunteers designed to address the most common causes of traffic injuries and fatalities for target age groups. GTIPI also serves as a statewide resource for answering consumer questions about safer travel.

Law enforcement, emergency medical services, health departments, Extension educators, fire departments and others across the state participate in GTIPI’s training and distribute educational materials. Onsite training is conducted across the state at regional locations, as well as at GTIPI’s headquarters training facility in Conyers, Georgia.

Parents and young children benefit from safety professionals and volunteers who achieve national certification in the child passenger safety technician course.

“Even though child safety seats are used more than 90 percent of the time by Georgia parents, child passenger safety technicians consistently find that almost all of those in use are installed incorrectly,” said Don Bower, UGA professor emeritus and GTIPI project director. “The National CPST Certification Course offered by GTIPI qualifies public safety professionals, fire, medical and community volunteers to teach parents how to eliminate those installation and use mistakes.”

PRIDE trains instructors how to deliver safe driving tools to the community. For the last 11 years, GTIPI’s course for parents and their new teen drivers, “Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E.,” has aimed to reduce teen injuries and fatalities through education.

A train-the-trainer certification course equips PRIDE instructors to help parents guide their teens through the license process and helps teens learn how to avoid crashes. PRIDE instructors also equip both the parent and teen with accurate information about how to obtain and keep a Georgia driver license.

“Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E.” was showcased by the national Governor’s Highway Safety Association in 2013 for its strong educational impacts on state graduated driver licensing laws and parental involvement.

“Car crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens, and more than two-thirds of teens who die in crashes in Georgia weren’t buckled up,” Bower said. “After more than a decade of declines in crash rates, we are seeing a troubling increase this year.”

Featured in AAA Magazine, the national CarFit program, designed for drivers aged 55 and up, helps seniors stay behind the wheel longer and more safely.

“CarFit is a non-threatening way to educate seniors about how to stay safe and comfortable in their cars as their physical abilities change with age,” Bower said.

The Online Safety Store is a partnership between GOHS and GTIPI. Now in its seventh year of collaboration, the store is Georgia’s primary source statewide for print and electronic traffic safety resources for public safety, public health, traffic safety professionals and consumers.

GTIPI manages distribution of GOHS materials from www.gahighwaysafety.org.

For more information on the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, traffic safety training and programs or other traffic-related resources, see www.ridesafegeorgia.org or call (678) 413-4281 or (800) 342-9819.

Cal Powell is the director of communications for the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Authors:
Cal Powell
Experts/Sources:
Don W. Bower
The Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute at the University of Georgia works to reduce and prevent traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities through education, training, resources, and collaboration for all sectors of the public throughout the state of Georgia. The classes includes courses aimed at parents and new teenage drivers.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
BabyEating CAES News
Early start, healthy futures: UGA Extension leads peanut allergy education 11/25/24 Emily Cabrera
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing peanut-containing products to infants as early as 4 to 6 months old, especially for children at high risk for allergies. But this information isn't reaching the public as it should. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Nutrition and Health Specialist Ali Berg is leading efforts to close this information gap.
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Need help managing stress this holiday season? Try these 3 tips from UGA Extension 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
UGA Extension offers mindfulness and skills training to help the incarcerated reclaim their hope. CAES News
UGA Extension offers training to help the incarcerated reclaim their hope 09/30/24 Cal Powell
A train rumbles through the heart of downtown Tennille, Georgia. The southbound train cars are loaded with kaolin, the white clay that serves as the city’s main export. Avery Franklin sets his leaf blower on the ground, takes a seat on a park bench under a pecan tree and begins telling his story. He was 19 years old the first time he went to jail. He’s 63 now, released four months ago after a lifetime of petty crime. He’s sitting 3 miles from the Washington County, Georgia, jail cell where he spent most of the last three years of his life.
Radon, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., but it can be detected and mitigated with the help of local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices across the state. CAES News
UGA sponsoring radon poster contest for Georgia students 09/13/24 Rebecca Cantrell
Radon, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., but it can be detected and mitigated with the help of local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service offices across the state. Radon comes from the breakdown of uranium in granite and rocky soils, so Georgia’s wealth of granite bedrock increases the chance of household radon for its residents.
LiceCheck CAES News
A back-to-school guide to the nitty-gritty on head lice 08/12/24 Allison Johnson
As students return to school, head lice often become a common concern for administrators and parents. Understanding how to prevent and manage head lice infestations is crucial for maintaining healthy environments in schools and at home. Allison Johnson, the Pesticide Safety Education Program coordinator for the University of Georgia, provides essential information and advice to help mitigate the spread of this pesky pest.
For some students, heading back to school feels like entering a pressure cooker. Parents can ease anxieties by helping their students develop strategies for handling stressful situations. CAES News
Families should make a plan to manage back-to-school stress 07/29/24 Merritt Melancon
As summer draws to an end, both students and parents need to prepare for the return to school. While a new backpack and a collection of notebooks and pens might top their to-do list, students also need to prepare emotionally, said Diane Bales, a human development specialist for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and a professor of human development and family science in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.