State grant to help keep KSU students safe on Georgia highways
The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) has awarded a $17‚900 grant to…
Georgia (Dec 20, 2007) — State grant to help keep KSU students safe on Georgia highways
Jeremy Craig
Abstract
Director of University Relations
Frances Weyand Harrison
770−423−6203
fharris4@kennesaw.edu
Contact/Writer: Jeremy Craig‚ 770−499−3448 or jcraig19@kennesaw.edu
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (Dec. 20‚ 2007) −− The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS)
has awarded a $17‚900 grant to Kennesaw State University‚ focusing on keeping students
safe on the road through a high−visibility awareness campaign and education efforts
among high−risk student groups.
The grant‚ which runs through Sept. 30‚ 2008‚ is issued through GOHS to implement
the Georgia Young Adult Program‚ a peer−education initiative focused on reducing the
number of traffic fatalities among 18− to 24−year−olds. Traffic crashes are one of
the leading causes of death in the United States for this age group.
“Our state’s teen drivers represent a disproportionate number of drivers involved
in crashes that involve injuries and deaths on Georgia’s roadways‚” said Director
Bob Dallas of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. We look forward to our colleges
and universities working with their peers to change the perception that crashes are
accidents‚ which can’t be prevented. They can. Our hope is to have every high school
and college student graduate without being involved in an injury or fatality crash.”
Specifically‚ KSU will use grant funds to promote safety belt use‚ as well as the
prevention of impaired driving‚ according to Sherry Grable‚ director of KSU’s Center
for Health Promotion and Wellness.
“At Kennesaw State‚ the emphasis will be upon social norming of healthy‚ positive
behaviors that will reduce the risk of death or injury from car crashes on our highways‚”
Grable explained. “For example‚ instead of saying that a certain percentage of students
are drinking and driving‚ we will promote the majority who are not.”
“Banners and posters in prominent places‚ such as parking deck entrances on the KSU
campus‚ will help get these positive messages to students‚” Grable said. Additionally‚
officials will mail postcards focusing on buckling up and staying sober on the roads
to specific high−risk student populations‚ such as first−year students‚ during critical
periods such as St. Patrick’s Day and Spring Break.
Grant funds also will be used to purchase student access to MyStudentBody.com‚ a Web site which helps assess high−risk behaviors and educates students about drinking.
The GOHS grant funds will also be used to train student peer health educators at Kennesaw
State to help educate other students on the dangers of drinking and driving and the
importance of seat−belt use.
Cobb County crash data shows a clear need to boost highway safety among 18− to 24−year−olds.
Vehicle crashes‚ injuries and fatalities among drivers in this age group represented
38 percent of crashes in Cobb County from 2003 to 2005. Sadly‚ the number of traffic
fatalities during that same time period among 18− to 24−year−olds increased 22 percent.
“We hope our efforts will help make a significant contribution to the safety of not
only Kennesaw State students‚ but also the safety of our friends‚ family and neighbors
in Cobb County and beyond‚” Grable said. Later in 2008‚ KSU will also reach out to
the next generation of college students‚ through planned programs at local high schools‚
Grable explained.
This is the second highway safety grant Kennesaw State officials have recently received
from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Alan LeBaron‚ a distinguished service
professor at KSU‚ is using a $47‚000 grant for efforts to promote highway safety among
Georgia’s Hispanic population.
For more information about the Georgia Young Adult Program through the Governor’s
Office of Highway Safety‚ visit www.gahighwaysafety.org/youngadult.
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A member of the 35−unit University System of Georgia‚ Kennesaw State University is
a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing student population of more
than 20‚000 from 132 countries. The third−largest university in Georgia‚ Kennesaw
State offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degrees‚ including a new doctorate
in education.
MORE NEWS…
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
