PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

According to the U.S. Census, Nevada's Hispanic population increased from 53,879 to 124,419 between 1980 and 1990. Based on this growth rate, current estimates place the Hispanic population at 160,000, comprising 11 percent of Nevada's population. Previous traffic safety programs in Nevada have been geared toward the general population, rather than specifically targeting any ethnic group. The Hispanic population growth occurring in Nevada necessitates the development of educational awareness programs specifically tailored for this demographic group. Language barriers have prevented Hispanics from benefiting from traffic safety information written in English.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of the Los Protectores program is to provide a role model and traffic safety educator for Nevada's Hispanic community. Specific objectives include:

Increasing the number of Hispanics obeying traffic laws and decreasing the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes

Conducting an aggressive public information and education campaign for the Hispanic population of Nevada

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The "El Protector" program established and conducted in California and Arizona has been highly successful in working with Hispanic populations in rural and urban communities. The program enables bilingual police officers to promote traffic safety within the Hispanic community. Using federal funds earmarked for the El Protector program, the Nevada Highway Patrol hired a bilingual trooper, and renamed the program Los Protectores. The new name signifies that the entire Highway Patrol, consisting of both men and women, actually supports the program to increase awareness of the

Nevada Highway Patrol Los Protectores Program (cont'd)

Hispanic community's traffic safety needs. The bilingual trooper who led the project became the role model and traffic safety educator for the Hispanic community in Nevada. Her activities, all of which focused on the dangers of impaired driving and failure to use appropriate occupant restraints, included:

Participating in numerous cultural and community events involving the Hispanic population, including giving traffic safety presentations at Cinco de Mayo celebrations

Assisting in the development of a data collection system which identified Hispanic representation in Nevada's death, serious injury, impaired driving, and other statistics

Providing presentations to English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at community colleges, promoting traffic safety and encouraging Hispanic students, both male and female, to consider a career in law enforcement

Hosting and presenting a minimum of 24 educational seminars on traffic safety awareness to the Hispanic population in both English and Spanish through churches, health clinics, schools, civic organizations and businesses

Conducting rollover demonstrations that use crash dummies to demonstrate what can happen during a crash if vehicle occupants are not wearing seat belts

RESULTS

Unfortunately, the unexpected transfer of the lead Los Protectores officer midway through the project prompted a termination of project activities. In spite of this difficulty, the officer more than doubled the project objective of conducting 24 public presentations to different organizations in the Hispanic community. Most important, she established a rapport with the Hispanic community and significantly enhanced that community's awareness of traffic safety issues. Although a new Los Protectores officer has not been located, the success of the program did prompt the development of a smaller community program with bilingual officers in Reno, Nevada.