Child restraint seat inspections. The Carolina Motor Club Foundation for Traffic Safety actively promotes the proper use of child safety seats through inspections during Safe Driving Day events. Statistics from inspections in the Carolinas have shown at least 80 percent of the seats inspected were installed incorrectly.
Drunken driving prevention programs. The Carolina Motor Club Foundation for Traffic Safety provides tools to educate high school students on the dangers of impaired driving and how to make the right decisions.
Pedestrian and bicycle safety education in schools. One in every five bicycle-related fatalities in North Carolina in 2002 involved a child younger than 19 years old. And in South Carolina, 40 percent of the bicycle fatalities in 2002 were children 15 years old or younger. More than 200 pedestrians were killed in 2001–2002 in South Carolina. In North Carolina, pedestrian fatalities reached 328 in that same period.
The foundation helps provide a network of support as children travel to and from school beginning with the “Schools Open - Drive Carefully” signs you see each fall, reminding drivers to keep alert for children. “Safest Way to School” brochures and other materials promote awareness of the dangers in and around schools.
Safety education to the Hispanic community. A study by the University of North Carolina Highway Research Center found that 10 percent of crashes involving Hispanics were alcohol-related, compared with 4 percent involving other drivers. Studies show Hispanics in North Carolina die in wrecks at 10 times the rate of whites and blacks.
Experts in the field suggest that newcomers from Spanish-speaking countries often aren’t prepared for more stringent U.S. laws such as mandatory seat belt use and prohibiting driving under the influence. The Foundation sponsors events geared to educate this minority group about motor laws and assist in encouraging better driving habits and behavior.
Traffic Safe Communities Awards. Each year the Carolina Motor Club Foundation for Traffic Safety recognizes safe communities in both North and South Carolina. Highway signs are erected in top cities.
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The Foundation for Traffic Safety library provides educational materials on subjects such as drunken driving, aggressive driving, drivers over 55 years old, teen-age drivers and cell phone/telematics in cars. Brochures and video material are available from the Foundation for Traffic Safety library.
Research on traffic safety issues. The Foundation finances studies on traffic safety issues such as red light cameras, lenient judges in drunken driving cases and urban tractor-trailer crashes.
Bicycle helmet safety programs for parents and children. Of the 550,000 cyclists that visit an emergency room with injuries every year, one in eight has a brain injury, yet 85 percent of the head injuries could be prevented with a helmet. During Bike Safety Month, the Carolina Motor Club Foundation for Traffic Safety works to disseminate bike helmets and enforce the importance of using them.
Safety Ambassador Award. The Foundation for Traffic Safety is working to bridge the divide between tractor-trailers and the rest of the motoring public. Each year, the Traffic Safety Ambassador Award is given to the trucking company with the lowest accident frequency in North Carolina and South Carolina encouraging all such businesses to closely monitor their time on the highway.
Mature operator programs help keep driving skills current. People over 65 are the fastest-growing population in the United States. By 2020, there will be more than 40 million licensed drivers 65 or older. Since 1991, senior crash fatality rates have climbed while overall fatality rates have remained stable.
AAA is dedicated to keeping senior road-users driving as long as safely possible.
Driver improvement programs help mature drivers utilize their years of good judgment and experience to enhance their driving skills at a time when physical changes often occur.
The Roadwise Review CD-Rom allows seniors to evaluate their driving skills in the privacy of their own home. Brochures, including CARFIT: Helping Mature Drivers Find their Perfect Fit, are available. |
