SmartSafeandSober.org - The web site for Virginia's traffic safety community

About SS&S

Virginia Highway Safety Committee

NEW! Summer/Fall 2008 Edition of SS&S Newsletter now available!

Welcome to SmartSafeandSober.org!

Driving ‘Drunk' Made Easy
Harrisonburg Police, Kawneer Team Up To Give Safe Glimpse Of Deadly Practice
Driving one of the Harrisonburg Police Department's new golf carts, Zach Gray weaved through the obstacle course set up on the Kawneer company's parking lot on Deyerle Road Tuesday. The Kawneer employee hit only a few of the bright-orange cones, and that wasn't bad, considering he was wearing goggles that made him view the course as if he were drunk.

Officers want drivers to remember: ‘Slow Down, Move Over’
Winchester — Local law enforcement officials agree there is no such thing as a low-risk traffic stop. An officer never knows what he or she might encounter when making contact with a motorist.

New Study Links Florida Senior Eye Tests To Safer Roads
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A University of Alabama at Birmingham study showed highway traffic deaths for older drivers in Florida dropped 17 percent after the state passed a law requiring vision tests for people age 80 and older. In Georgia and Alabama, where such tests are not required, the death rates remained unchanged.

Auto-deer collisions typically increase in November
Statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and State Farm Insurance indicate Virginia annually is ranked among the country's top 10 for deer-automobile collisions.

New Data Show Drinking Age Laws Saved 4,441 Lives Over 5 Years
Minimum 21-year-old drinking age laws prevented an estimated 4,441 drunken driving deaths in the last five years alone, according to a new report released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Stricter car seat law may be saving lives
Middletown — Seven-year-old Jarret Hicks thinks his car booster seat is comfortable. In fact, he wouldn’t mind riding in it until he’s 14. “But when we get older, our butts won’t fit,” said Jarret, a Frederick County resident.

Upcoming Events/Trainings

Click It or Ticket Thanksgiving Travel Mobilization
November 17-30, 2008

Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving: Holiday Impaired Driving Awareness Campaign
November 30-December 12, 2008

Traffic Occupant Protection Strategies (TOPS)
December 9, 2008
Walkerton, Virginia

Checkpoint Strikeforce/Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest: Holiday Impaired Driving Enforcement Campaign
December 12-31, 2008

4-day NHTSA CPS Technician Course
January 6-9, 2009
Chantilly, VA
8 spots left in class for members of public safety only! To sign-up, you must login with your ID or create a new account with SafeKIDS.

Motorcycle Crash Investigation and Reconstruction
February 23-27, 2009 • Martinsville, VA;
June 1-5, 2009 • Weyers Cave, VA
Prerequisite for enrollment is successful completion of a basic two-week crash investigation course. There is no fee for the course. Students are responsible for their own transportation, lodging and meals. The Department of Criminal Justice Services will award career development in-service credit upon completion of this course.

Fundamentals of Crash Investigation and Reconstruction
March 16-27, 2009 • Draper, VA;
April 13-24, 2009 • Lynchburg, VA;
July 6-17, 2009 • Henrico, VA;
August 3-14, 2009 • Nokesville, VA
The course fee is $85. Students receive a course notebook, traffic template and quick reference handbook. Transportation, lodging and meals are the responsibility of each student. The Department of Criminal Justice Services will award 34 elective and four legal hours upon completion of this course.

Advanced Crash Investigation and Reconstruction
May 11-15, 2009 • Salem, VA;
August 24-28, 2009 • Fredericksburg, VA
Prerequisite for enrollment is successful completion of a basic two-week crash investigation course. The course fee is $40. The Department of Criminal Justice Services will award 36 hours of career development in-service credit upon completion of this course.

In the News...

Emphasizing the dangers of driving while drowsy
Family, friends of Virginia Tech freshman who died in car crash sending out a message

New Federal Rule to Make School Buses Safer, Allow Districts to Use Federal Funds to Pay for Seat Belt Installations, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters Announces

Many booster seats aren't up to the job of improving safety belt fit for children
Thirteen of the 41 belt-positioning booster seats the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute did such a poor job of improving the fit of lap and shoulder belts for children that the Institute doesn't recommend them at all. Ten models are best bets and 5 are good bets.

Incomplete CMV Information on New FR300P Police Crash Reports
Effective October 1, 2008, when DMV receives crash reports that have missing information, they will return the crash report to you for completion with a letter informing you of the missing information needed and a due date for resubmitting the form to DMV.

(previous news items...)

Traffic fatalities on VA’s
highways since
Jan. 1, 2008
(as of November 19):

720
(Compared to 925 at this time last year)

2008 Checkpoint Strikeforce Kickoff

2007 Virginia LEC
Awards Photos

More photos...

Last Modified: November 20, 2008

E-mail the Webmaster