For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 8, 2020
From the Office of Councilmember Will Jawando
ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 7, 2019—Councilmember Will Jawando will host a launch event today at 9:15 a.m. for the Driving It Home event to promote safe driving, pedestrian and bicycling safety at Montgomery Blair High School (51 University Blvd. E) in Silver Spring, the largest high school in the state of Maryland. Driving It Home, which was created by Prince George’s County Councilmember Monique Anderson-Walker, is a regional road safety education and awareness initiative aimed at changing the driving culture in the Washington metropolitan region.
Councilmember Jawando will be joined by Councilmember Anderson-Walker, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein, Acting Captain Lt. David McBain of the Montgomery County Police Department and Blair senior Christopher Watkins. Speakers will discuss safe driving practices and emphasize the need to expand education for young people in this critical area.
“Driver and pedestrian safety must be taught early and reinforced often,” said Councilmember Jawando. “Since this 762-person class of seniors began high school in 2016, 803 pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle occupants were killed or seriously injured on Montgomery County roads. By educating them on safe driving, riding and walking practices early, we can instill a culture of safety in our next generation that will save lives.”
According to the National Safety Council, two million teens under the age of 18 are in their first year of driving. Each year drivers younger than 18 are involved in 900,000 crashes, and the age group of 16- to 19-year-old drivers is the most likely to be in a fatal crash.
Montgomery County is one of the first county governments in the United States to initiate a Vision Zero plan, which aims to reduce severe and fatal collisions on County roads with the goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths by 2030. Action items in the plan are organized into five key areas: engineering, enforcement, education and training, traffic incident management and law, policy and advocacy.
The Montgomery County Planning Department also is developing a Pedestrian Master Plan to improve pedestrian conditions countywide. The plan will complement the 2018 Bicycle Master Plan and plans for other modes of transportation through strategies for making streets safer and more accessible.
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Release ID: 20-003