Savannah Technical College creates Coastal Georgia Center for Driver Safety with grant funding from Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College has been awarded a grant in the amount of $191,267 from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
The funds will be used by Savannah Technical College to develop the “Coastal Georgia Center for Driver Safety.” Grant funds will create two core additional services: distracted and impaired driver prevention education. This will take the form of community- and school-based workshops, virtual reality simulation education, social media messaging, and the promotion of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapters in all of area high schools.
“Helping teenage drivers understand the dangers of distracted or impaired driving is critical for everyone’s safety on the road,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love. “We look forward to serving even more high school students through the Coastal Georgia Center for Driver Safety.”
The most recent CDC findings show that 39% of high school students who drove in the last 30 days had sent an email or text message while driving. Teens are much more at risk for alcohol –related fatalities than other groups.
“The loss of one life on our roads is one too many, and the fact almost all fatal traffic crashes can be prevented is one reason why we are awarding this grant,” Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole said. “The target of zero traffic deaths in our nation is achievable, and we will continue to help develop and implement educational messages and enforcement campaigns aimed at bringing our state one step closer to that goal.”
The grant includes the purchase of five One Simple Decision (OSD) Distracted Driving simulators. Savannah Technical College will partner with area high schools for students to interact with the simulators. The OSD simulators are designed to modify driving behavior by illustrating the consequences of choices made behind the wheel. Through the combination of driving simulation, intense interactions and first-person consequences videos, drivers are immersed in a gut wrenching personal experience that results from “One Simple Decision” they chose to make when driving.
The grant began on October 1, 2020 and the funds are provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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# 2108 | Oct. 7, 2020
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, Savannah Technical College (Savannah Tech) is the premier provider of career-ready technical education in Coastal Georgia, offering a comprehensive range of nearly 150 market-driven programs, preparing students for high-demand careers including Aviation Technology, Cybersecurity, Health Sciences, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Automation & Robotics, Information Technology, Culinary Arts, Public Services and more. With campuses in Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty Counties, Savannah Tech serves more than 13,000 credit and non-credit students with a variety of pathways to success, including dual enrollment programs for high school students and specialized support services for military veterans and their families. Beyond academics, Savannah Tech is an economic and community development partner, collaborating with industry leaders to provide customized training programs, assessment services, and continuing education opportunities. For more information, visit www.savannahtech.edu.
Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Savannah Technical College complies with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The TCSG State Board prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status (“protected status”). No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation under, any TCSG program or activity because of the individual’s protected status; nor shall any individual be given preferential treatment because of the individual’s protected status, except the preferential treatment may be given on the basis of veteran status when appropriate under federal or state law.