July 23, 2007
Contact: Meg Mincolla
Phone: (775) 888-7172
New NDOT Public Service Announcements Highlight Driving Safety
With over 425 Nevada motorists killed last year in vehicle crashes, new public service announcements from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) offer safe driving reminders.
The announcements feature important road safety messages, from seatbelt use to road work zone safety. They also highlight NDOT’s 511 Nevada Travel Info system, which posts current weather, construction, traffic and road incident information to a 511 phone number and www.nevadadot.com Web site.
Driving safety tips discussed in the announcements include:
∙ Buckle up – Close to half of Nevadans who die in car crashes aren’t buckled up.
∙ Don’t let distractions take your eye from the road – Inattentive or fatigued driving resulted in the death of 264 Nevada drivers, passengers and pedestrians in a recent five-year period.
∙ Don’t drink and drive – 464 Nevada drivers died in alcohol-related crashes in a recent five-year period.
∙ Don’t speed – A car traveling at 60 miles per hour travels 88 feet per second, giving speed a great impact on how much time drivers have to react to the road ahead.
∙ Slow for road work zones – More than 1,000 people nationwide lost their lives in road work zone crashes in 2005. Some 80% of those killed were vehicle passengers and drivers.
“At NDOT, roadway safety is always a top priority,” Department Director Susan Martinovich explained. “Safety truly starts with each individual, and we hope these messages will help remind each of us of our responsibility to safely use the road.”
The public safety campaign includes 15 and 30-second English and Spanish radio announcements broadcast on nearly 60 radio stations, and four television commercials appearing on close to 20 TV stations throughout Nevada. Featuring Martinovich and others, the announcements will continue for a year with new safety messages each quarter. A $100,000 contract with the Nevada Broadcasters Association to produce and distribute the public safety messages was funded by NDOT’s roadside logo sign program at no taxpayer expense.
The campaign helps fulfill educational goals established in Nevada’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a plan developed by the Nevada Departments of Transportation and Public Safety and other partners to help reduce statewide traffic fatality numbers.
