PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the number one killer of young people today. In the year 2000, motor vehicle injuries and fatalities among youth ages 16-20 increased dramatically. In Virginia between January 1 and December 31, 2000, 48 individuals in the 16 and 17 year-old age group died on Virginia’s roads. More dramatically, during the same time period, 109 individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 died on Virginia’s roads – a tragic increase of 73 percent compared with the same time period in 1999.

The blame for these crashes can no longer be placed solely on alcohol and drugs. A number of other factors have been identified as common occurrences among youth driver crashes, including speed, lack of seat belt use, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driver inattention or inexperience, or being run off the road.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The mission of Youth of Virginia Speak Out (YOVASO) is to educate an organized group of young people about traffic safety issues and empower them to take ownership of traffic safety related problems. Moreover, youth must be encouraged to take an active role in developing positive solutions for the common issues pertaining to traffic related crashes, injuries and fatalities among young drivers through problem identification, program development, and program coordination.

YOVASO is a joint partnership between the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and Radford University. Its goals are to:

• provide a network allowing school based clubs and organizations to share ideas, resources, and successful programs;

• encourage youth to identify problems pertaining to traffic safety; then, train them in the skills necessary to affect legislation, identify community problems, and to raise funds and utilize their community resources;

• educate youth about the responsibilities of operating a motor vehicle, and how to positively influence behavioral and attitude changes;

• provide training at the local, state, and national level in order to develop programs to positively impact the problem;

• supply program coordination on a local, state and national level in order to establish a network of individual school groups into a system that allows sharing ideas, strengths, and weakness of programs; and

• offer opportunities for youth to work with adults on traffic safety issues.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety is a program developed to educate and empower youth to speak out and make a difference in their schools and communities, as well as create positive awareness about the dangers youth face behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

The program consists of a number of traffic safety summits, also known as training sessions, throughout the State of Virginia. During these one-day training sessions, teams of four or more students from high schools and colleges in different regions of Virginia are brought together. Training consists of educational and creative sessions developed to empower young people to create awareness programs catered to meet the needs of their own schools. Students are encouraged to focus issues, such as speed, safety belts, driver inattention, and driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

After training is complete, students return to their schools motivated and prepared with an action plan for implementing the program they created.

RESULTS

Between August 16, 2001 and November 30, 2001, 29 high schools and 203 students have directly participated in the YOVASO program. Participants from each school have worked through the problem identification and solution process, as well as developed action plans for traffic safety awareness activities within their schools and communities. Student teams returned to their schools motivated and empowered to implement successful life saving programs affecting approximately 400 students. Grant funds have been used to purchase program materials and promotional items.

   WINTER 2002