In 2001 Safe Communities collaborated with several community agencies to aid the blind population in Greenville to be more independent and mobile.  This project allowed for the installation of audible indicators at designated intersections to enable visual impaired persons to cross streets in the City more safely.  This has enabled blind citizens to walk distances previously unattainable safer. Audible indicators make a two-tone chirping noise to indicate when it is safe to cross the intersection.  They are at intersections that have stoplights with walk/don't walk signals.  This project was a true community effort that involved the support of many agencies and organizations. They include: City of Greenville, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Division of Blind Services, East Carolina University Department of Disability Support, the Greenville Martinborough Lions Club, Greenville Host Lions Club, the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program, and the United Way of Pitt County.

 The audible indicators are at the following intersections:

                                    Evans Street and Fifth Street

                                    Moye Blvd and the Entrance to Pitt County Memorial Hospital

                                    Tenth Street and College Hill Drive

                                    Arlington Blvd and Hooker Road

                                    Hooker Road and Greenville Blvd.

                                    Fifth Street and Founder’s Drive

The AARP Driver Safety Program is a classroom refresher course for driver age 50 and older.  It has helped millions of drivers remain safe on today’s roads. The 8-hour course is designed to help:

1.                  A person to tune up their driving skills and update their knowledge of the rules of the road.

2.                  Learn about normal age-related physical changes, and how to adjust driving to allow for these changes.

3.                  Reduce traffic violations, crashes, and chances for injuries.

4.                  Drive more safely.

5.                  In many states AARP graduates are eligible for an auto insurance discount.  In North Carolina graduates may be eligible.  It is a consideration give by the individual company.

In a joint effort with the local AARP Chapter the Coalition has sponsors Driver Safety Courses for older adults.  The Coalition and Pitt Partners for Heath support these classes so there is no cost to the students. A certified AARP instructor volunteer teaches the Course.  In the past year, we have sponsored 3 classes that have graduates 50 students.

This is a collaboration with Pitt County Schools to promote bicycle safety in fourth grade physical education classes. Physical education teachers implement the Basic of Bicycling curriculum to teach bicycle safety.  This includes classroom instruction and “on the bike experience.”  The Coalition assisted the school in obtaining funding to purchase and equip trailers that include bicycles, signs to set up a practice course.   The Coalition provides a helmet and proper helmet fitting for each student.  This is a project that began 5 years ago and has grown every year.  During School Year 2003-2004, 1175 students at 9 schools participated.  105 community volunteers assisted with helmet fittings.

The Coalition also sponsors a helmet distribution program in conjunction with Greenville Fire Rescue.  Any family who is unable to purchase a helmet due to limited income may contact Greenville Fire Rescue at 252-329-4374 and make an appointment to  go in to be fitted for a helmet.  With all the programs and events, the Coalition provides approximately 1000 helmets to Pitt County residents each year.

REMINDER: North Carolina State Law effective October 2001: All persons under the age of 16 are required to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle.

            Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVC) is the leading cause of unintentional death of all Americans.  In 2000 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported an average of 114 deaths per day or one death every 13 minutes.  MVC injuries average over 600 every hour or 10 people injured every minute of each day.  Over one third of all deaths for youth aged 15-20 years result from Motor Vehicle Crashes.

            As an intervention to prevent some of the fatalities and injuries Safe Communities has coordinated the implementation of SAFETeens in the Driver’s Education Classes in Pitt County.  SAFETeens is a curriculum designed to reduce Motor Vehicle Crash fatalities and injuries of youth drivers.  It is presented to driver’s education students during their classroom training. 

            The purpose of the three-hour curriculum is to enhance and enrich the course objectives related to the Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Driving component of the Drivers’ Education Course.  It coordinates the efforts of several local community education initiatives.  Each presentation team includes a health care provider, an emergency medical services team, and a law enforcement officer.   The highly interactive curriculum addresses the responsibilities of driving, the consequences of misusing the privilege to drive, and the life skills for injury prevention.  

            The team teaching format provides in-depth, professional expertise on the medical aspects of alcohol/drug use and other risky behaviors as they impact on driving.  Through EMS crash scene procedures the consequences of impairment and other distractions of an inexperience driver are demonstrated.  The law enforcement officer covers the legal aspects of North Carolina Laws related to driving under the influence, implied consent, motor vehicle occupant safety, railroad crossing safety, and proper bystander behavior.

Safe Communities began SAFETeens in Pitt County in October 2003.  It is presented to 40 driver’s education classes each year that includes over 1500 students.  Both instructors and the students have praised the program as very informative and educational.

The Coalition has developed and implemented a Safe Driving School.  This project is in collaboration with the Pitt County District Attorney's Office and Pitt Community College. Speeding offenders in Pitt County may complete an eight-hour driver improvement course at Pitt Community College.  Upon completion, the district attorney will give consideration of reducing the citation.  The AAA curriculum Driver Improvement Course is used.  Classes are offered by the Economic and Community Development Division at Pitt Community College on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and all day on Saturdays.  Classes in Spanish are also offered.  Speeding violators are eligible for the course if they have received speeding violations over 15 mph and under 25 mph over the speed limit.  The Course has a $45.00 registration fee. Upon the completion of the Course a certificate is given. In return for helping to support the Driving School, the Coalition receives a portion of each student’s registration. These funds help to support additional interventions and safety projects. Over 8000 people have participated in the course since it first began in the spring of 1999. For more information contact: Jennifer Smith 252-847-8668.

CRASH (Community Response to Attain Safer Highways) has been initiated as a project that involves compiling and analyzing Pitt County fatal and severe injuries related motor vehicle crash (MVC) reports starting January 1, 1995.  The goal is for the Coalition to develop and implement strategies and tactics to reduce crashes, crash related injuries and fatal crashes.  Analyzing the reports revealed the following:

Fatal motor vehicle crashes (MVC) in Pitt County
1995 - 22 fatalities
1996 - 23 fatalities
1997 – 19 fatalities
1998 – 21 fatalities
1999 – 14 fatal crashes
2000 – 23 fatalities
2001 – 26 fatalities
2002 – 11 fatalities
2003 - 26 fatalities
2004 - 17 fatalities

The Pitt County Planning Department has assisted with mapping all the motor vehicle crashes (MVC’s) in Pitt County that have involved fatalities and severe injuries.  These maps have been a very useful tool in identifying high-risk areas for MVC’s.   With this information, the Coalition is developing interventions to reduce MVC’s.  Planned interventions are to support high enforcement in these areas and signage to inform drivers of high crash areas.   MVC fatalities were reduced over 50% from 26 in 2001 to 11 in 2002.

 

One of the first interventions of Safe Communities has been a bicycle safety initiative named PEDAL.  Local injury data revealed that bicycle injuries in Pitt County were significant.  The goal of PEDAL was to increase the awareness of bicycle safety and to decrease bicycle injuries and fatalities.  The specific goals of the initiative relate to the program title:

P - Parent involvement in bicycle safety
E - Education of safe riding practices
D - Distribution of helmets
A - Access to safe ride ways
L - Legislation to require helmet use

Through this project The Coalition provided bicycle safety education, distributed helmets and advocated for local bicycle helmet ordinances as well as supported the North Carolina State Bicycle Helmet Legislation.