MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Safe Communities Coalition met for its first meeting of 2009 to discuss safety issues in Knox County. Made up of representatives of many agencies in the county, the coalition meets several times a year to develop strategies for making Knox County a safer place to live.
Caree Varughese, Knox County Health Department health educator, directs the coalition, which is funded through grant money from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office. The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Central Ohio Joint Fire District, Mount Vernon Police Department, Danville Police Department, Fredericktown Police Department, local schools and the Ohio Department of Transportation are among the agencies represented in the coalition.
“In essence, the goals for the Safe Communities Coalition functions are to decrease traffic-related fatalities and injuries and the cost associated,” Varughese explained. “We cover topics with youth driving safety, impaired driving, seat belt usage and motorcycle safety.”
Each year, the group focuses on issues regarding public safety. After discussion at the meeting Tuesday, coalition members decided distracted driving would be a target for education this year.
Cell phone usage, texting, reading and eating were driving habits coalition members discussed as causes of traffic accidents in Knox County.
Varughese said the goal is to educate people about the dangers of distracted driving to prevent future injuries and fatalities.
Members also discussed new Youth Safety Councils which are being formed in Knox County high schools, where peer education about traffic safety will be used.
Lt. Chad McGinty, commander of the Mount Gilead post of the OHSP, shared fatal crash statistics with the group. He shared some of the known causes of driving fatalities in 2008, and told the coalition two people have already died in traffic accidents in the county in the first 13 days of 2009.
Of the nine fatal crashes in the county in 2008, one involved alcohol; drivers were wearing seat belts in six of the crashes, according to McGinty.
He said he was pleased the number of fatalities had decreased in the county by one from the year before. He said, however, the number of crashes involving at-fault drivers who were over the age of 55 and younger than 24 was a concern.
McGinty said the two drivers killed in Knox County motorcycle accidents in 2008 were not wearing helmets. The coalition agreed motorcycle safety would continue to be a focus of the coalition in the coming year.
The group brainstormed ideas for education and prevention initiatives. Varughese explained after the meeting the purpose of discussing and learning from past traffic accidents.
“We don’t like to wait for issues such as distracted driving to be something to deal with,” she said. “Our goal is to do outreach in our community as a preventative measure, as that’s what public health is all about.”
