MARYLAND
Tray Liners for Traffic Safety

 

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Easy to replicate
Innovative or non-traditional approach
  Safe Communities
Occupant Protection
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  State    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  General Population   5,072,000


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
When Maryland's primary seat belt law went into effect on October 1, 1997, state highway safety administrators were concerned with the most effective method for educating the public about the new law and the importance of using seat belts.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the "Tray Liners for Traffic Safety" program, developed in 1998, was to increase safety belt and child safety seat use in Maryland. Objectives of the project, designed to meet the occupant protection goal included:

  • Designating Maryland's Regional Safe Communities Centers as lead agency for the occupant protection project
  • Designing a public information campaign for safety belt and child safety seat use
  • Developing educational materials about Maryland's new primary seat belt law
  • Building partnerships with local businesses and schools
  • Devising methods for encouraging each Maryland county to develop traffic safety partnerships


STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Maryland highway safety administrators' principal strategy in promoting the new primary seat belt law and increasing safety belt and child safety seat use was to enlist the help of Maryland's Regional Safe Communities Centers. The Maryland State Highway Administration and the Regional Safe Communities Centers formed a partnership to create a simple, yet innovative and easy to replicate project, designed to achieve the occupant protection goal. Activities associated with the effort included the following:

  • The partners developed a tray liner for use on food trays such as are found in fast food restaurants, in hospitals, in school cafeterias and in family restaurants
  • Coordinators of the program fashioned the tray liners to send an occupant protection message to the users—both adults and children
  • The rough designs for the tray liners were sent to a professional printing firm for final design and production
  • The completed tray liners were then sent to each Regional Safe Communities Center and State Highway Administration office for distribution
  • Local businesses were contacted to elicit participation in the program


RESULTS
Response to the "Tray Liners for Traffic Safety" project has been very positive. Two hundred forty-six thousand tray liners were distributed to 24 local jurisdictions throughout Maryland for use in fast food restaurants, family restaurants, food courts in malls, schools, college cafeterias and hospitals.

Based on this project's success, the Safe Communities Centers are planning future quarterly promotions targeting other traffic safety issues including impaired driving, drowsy driving and aggressive driving.

 

FUNDING
  Section 402: $3,500
CONTACT  
  Kathy Lusby-Treber
Special Projects Coordinator
Maryland State Highway Administration
Office of Traffic and Safety
7491 Connelley Drive
Hanover, MD 21076
(410) 787–4076



NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

WINTER 1999