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Knox Public Health has received a $27,500 grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety to promote traffic safety awareness in Knox County. This annual competitive funding is used to coordinate initiatives led by the Knox County Safe Communities Coalition, which KPH coordinates. There are five traffic strategies that the Safe Communities Grant is focusing on and they are: Impaired Driving/Drugged Driving, Seat Belt Usage/” Click It or Ticket” initiatives, Distracted Driving, Motorcycle Awareness and Youthful Driver (15 ½ – 24).
The coalition works closely with local law enforcement, and other related agencies to bring awareness to traffic safety trends seen in Knox County. Local traffic safety trends are identified through concerns addressed by local residents and crash data provided from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
“Our goal every year is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in our community, each life lost is one too many,” said Suzanne Dapprich, Knox Public Health’s Safe Communities Coordinator. “So far this year, there have been six traffic fatalities in Knox County. That’s a decrease from last year in 2022 when there were nine. Since 2020, there have been 26 people killed in Knox County. Impaired driving, speed and lack of wearing seatbelts/helmets are Knox County’s top traffic fatality trends.
For more information or to get involved with the Knox County Safe Communities Coalition, contact Suzanne Dapprich at 740-392-2200 x2225 or sdapprich@knoxhealth.com.
