PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Motor vehicle crashes
are the leading cause of fatalities and injuries in Hawaii. Traffic
safety professionals statewide have used a combination of traffic statistics
and observation to help identify several critical traffic safety problem
areas: the safety belt use rate must be increased for all population
groups; there is a need for additional traffic safety education targeted
to children; and there is also a requirement for increased education
targeted to young drivers and their parents about the consequences of
impaired driving and high risk behaviors on highways.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Safe
Community Youth Activities (SCYA) program was developed, in 1998, to
prevent and reduce traffic crash fatalities and injuries in Hawaii.
Objectives of the program include the following:
- To develop
a traffic injury prevention program targeting youth
- To create
new youth and parent coalitions
- To continue
support to youth/parent coalitions of long standing
- To organize
youth as an advocacy group for traffic safety
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The primary
strategy used by program planners to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries
was the formation of an umbrella organization from which all traffic
safety-related programs could coordinate their efforts. This umbrella
organization was named Safe Community Youth Activities (SCYA), and embraced
the Teens for Safer Communities Coalition (TSCC) and the Parents Actively
Reaching the Youth (PARTY) coalition. Three areas/programs of effort
were established and members of the organizations appointed to each
of the three areas: (1) youth advocacy, (2) legislative advocacy, and
(3) public education. SCYA members engaged in numerous traffic safety
activities which focused on the three program areas. These include:
- SCYA members
hosted elementary, high school and parent traffic safety conferences
which provided traffic safety awareness education, injury prevention
education, advocacy education and training in educational strategies
- Support
was continued to classroom teachers and schools through dissemination
of videos, curriculum materials and posters
- The SCYA
continued active participation with national legislative advocacy
groups such as National Student Safety Program (NSSP), Students Against
Destructive Decisions (SADD), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD),
the National Safety Council (NSC) and the National Organization for
Youth Safety (NOYS)
- Working
relationships were continued and strengthened with local advocacy
groups such as the State Department of Health, the state chapter of
MADD, the county police departments, the Judiciary Division of Driver
Education and the Honolulu Association of Insurance Women
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