The Traffic Safety Proposal Package and GRANTS Plus FFY2022 grant proposals are tentatively scheduled to go live April 20, 2021 with an online submission deadline of May 25, 2021. The dates are subject to change based on the current environment. Questions can be directed to your OTSO Planner and/or your Law Enforcement Liaison (LEL).
THE OTSO DASHBOARD IN OSTATS IS AVAILABLE ON THE OTSO WEBSITE
The red button for Crash Statistics will take OTSO Grantees to the statistics dashboard. The new dashboard allows users to filter crash data by County and by FIPS, and can click on a variety of crash variables to get statistics by year and severity. In addition, data can be displayed as a bar chart or line graph. Dashboard views can be saved as an image, PDF file, or in PowerPoint format. The OTSO dashboard will be updated weekly with the latest crash data.
Furthermore, users can directly access a link to the main OSTATS dashboard to see more detailed statistics and maps, showing crashes by severity and crash density on a map at the county and NCIC level.
Subject: COVID-19 Directives for Ohio Traffic Safety Office Grantees
A year has passed since Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued the executive order declaring the COVID-19 state emergency. As Governor DeWine is easing restrictions and under the recommendations provided by the Ohio Department of Health, in-person events, meetings and seminars are authorized under the OTSO grants as long as all state and local health department guidelines are followed.
Any questions regarding the above directive, please contact your assigned Planner.
REMINDER
The 2021 NHTSA Communications Calendar can be found by clicking here.
420 Drug-Impaired Driving Prevention Campaign / April 20, 2021
Although its origins are uncertain, April 20th (more commonly known as 420) has become synonymous with marijuana use and, in some circles, the date is a marijuana “holiday.” On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, there will likely be an increase in marijuana use. To help keep drug-impaired drivers off the roads, NHTSA is teaming up with State and local traffic safety advocates to spread the message that drug-impaired driving of any kind is dangerous and illegal.
NHTSA wants to remind all drivers that: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different.
For more information and support materials, click here.
May 17 - June 6, 2021 / National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization
Seat belts have been proven to be one of the best ways to save your life in a crash. Yet many still do not buckle up. Worse still, not wearing a seat belt is a habit that will pass on to impressionable youth, who in turn will think it’s safe to not buckle up. The Click It or Ticketcampaign focuses on safety education, strong laws, and law enforcement officers saving lives. Dates to remember:
May 10 - June 17, 2021 (earned media)
May 17 - June 6, 2021 (paid media)
May 24 - June 6, 2021 (enforcement)
Use these enforcement resources for outreach during the campaign dates to highlight the dangers of not wearing a seat belt. These materials do not focus on social norming – for those materials, please refer to our Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time. campaign.
For more information and support materials, click here.
Many training resources are currently available through ODOT’s Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center, including a variety of free webinars, eLearning courses and publications! Please visit the LTAP Available Training webpage for additional information.
Click here to visit the LTAP eLearning webpage for details on how to access more than 300 free online courses/modules. Topics include Road Diets, Roadway Departure Countermeasures and many others.
Click here to visit the LTAP Route of Navigation (RON) Educational series, with links to dozens of resource publications for topic categories such as Access Management, Roadway Safety, Signage and Work Zone Safety.
Submitted by: Shelli Stephens-Stidham - Senior Program Consultant, Safe States Alliance and
Sandy Spavone - Executive Director, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
As track leaders for the Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities, we are inviting you to the 2021 conference to be held virtually April 26 – 28. Visit the Lifesavers Conference website at www.lifesaversconference.org to register and view the conference schedule.
Lifesavers is the world’s largest gathering of highway safety leaders and advocates. The 2021 Virtual Conference offers 70 workshops in nine tracks, plenary sessions, peer exchange discussion groups, and an interactive exhibit hall. Critical highway safety topics, including responses to COVID-19 and current social events, will be presented in a virtual environment designed to engage participants in an exchange of ideas, strategies, and solutions.
Vulnerable road users include pedestrians, bicyclists, teens, aging drivers, and motorcyclists. Data for 2018 show that 1,719 young drivers (ages 15-20) were killed in crashes in the U.S. and an estimated 198,000 young drivers were injured in motor vehicle crashes. There was an increase in fatalities of pedestrians (6,283) and bicyclists (857) and an additional 4,985 motorcyclists were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. That same year, 6,907 people 65 and older were killed in traffic crashes in the U.S., accounting for roughly 19 percent of all traffic fatalities.
Like you, we are committed to improving these numbers. These past months we have had the pleasure of working with experts and advocates who volunteered their time to create a solution-driven program that shares research and initiatives to help protect our most vulnerable populations. Visit the Lifesavers Conference website’s workshops page (https://lifesaversconference.org/workshops-handouts/) to view workshops being offered this year.
For the past 39 years, Lifesavers has offered exceptional networking and learning opportunities. Join with other dedicated highway safety professionals to virtually share information, best practices, and experiences to reduce preventable injuries and deaths on our nation’s highways and create safer communities.
REGISTRATION NOTE from Mary Lofgren - Meetings Management, Inc.
For the 2021 Virtual LifeSavers Conference, you can register at the $275 rate up until the conference in April. We do ask that folks register by Friday, April 23 so we have time to send the link to the online platform before the conference begins on Monday April 26.
A FREE 6.0 HOUR CLE TRAINING
THE OHIO TRAFFIC SAFETY OFFICE PRESENTS:
PROSECUTING THE DRUGGED DRIVER
A FREE 6.0 HOUR CLE TRAINING
WHEN: May 27, 2021 (9:00 am- 4:00 pm)
WHERE: Owens Community College, Center for Emergency Preparedness, 30150 Tracy Road, Walbridge, Ohio, 43465
WHO: Municipal and County Prosecutors and Law Enforcement
HOW: This course is being hosted by the Ohio Traffic Safety Office/ Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor/ Ohio Drug Evaluation and Classification program, and Owens Community College. Funding is provided in part or solely by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
REGISTRATION: Email cep@owens.edu by May 13, 2021. PLEASE DO NOT DELAY…. WE ANTICIPATE A GOOD RESPONSE. SPACE IS LIMITED TO 20. This course has been approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 6.00 total CLE hours, with 1.50 of attorney professional conduct instruction. It is free for prosecutors and law enforcement. Please contact Holly Reese, Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor @ hreesetsrp@ gmail.com or (330)904-8971 with any questions.
To view the flyer with registration information, click here.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RESOURCE PROSECUTORS
VIDEO TRAINING SERIES
PREVIOUS VIDEOS
TO MEET THE TSRP'S AND LEARN WHAT TRAINING IS AVAILABLETO LAW ENFORMCEMENT AND PROSECUTORS, click here.
TRAFFIC SAFETY CASE LAW UPDATE FOR 2020 - to view this video click here.
OHIO INTOXILYZER 8000 FOR PROSECUTORS - to view click here.
Stay tuned to future issues of TrafficWise as new videos are released.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RESOURCE PROSECUTORS WEBINARS
THE IMPLICATIONS OF FIELD SOBRIETY TEST EVIDENCE
IN DRUG IMPAIRED DRIVING CASES.
NOTE NEW DATE!!!!
PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULE FOR - May 4, 2021
RESCHEDULED FOR MAY 11, 2021
This session will provide an overview of field sobriety test evidence as it relates to drug impaired driving cases. Presenters Deena Ryerson, Oregon Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor, and Ashley Schluck, Wyoming TSRP, will discuss defense challenges in the use of field sobriety test evidence for drug impairment. The session will further cover various court rulings on this issue and how prosecutors and law enforcement officers can prepare to deal with challenges to the admission.
Approved for 1.5 general CLE credit hours by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education. To view the complete flyer and registration information, click here.
JUNE 2021 TRAFFIC TUESDAY WEBINAR
USING THE BODY WORN CAMERA TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
DURING THE DRUG INFLUENCE EVALUATTION
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Time: 2:00p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Lt. Allan Kolak – Cape Coral (FL) Police Department
Description: This session will discuss the benefits of wearing a body worn camera system and explain how to use it to your advantage in a DUI case involving a Drug Recognition Expert Evaluation. In addition to the technical aspects of the body worn camera system, attendees will learn proper camera positioning, lighting, and audio applications when conducting a Drug Influence Evaluation and how to best preserve the Drug Influence Evaluation on video for court presentation. Furthermore, this session will explain to both prosecutors and law enforcement how to use such video evidence to enhance courtroom presentation during a DUI case involving a DRE Evaluation. As this session provides a discussion on what to do and what not to do while using a body worn camera system, attendees will learn how video can help to not only enhance case presentation but also to promote professionalism by accurately documenting the activities that occur throughout the entire DUI investigation.
These webinars are being conducted by the Florida TSRP Program and the National TSRP Program utilizing the National TSRP Program webinar account. The account is funded through the NAPC/NHTSA Cooperative Agreement, Project Number 693JJ92050011.
This activity has been approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 1.5 general CLE credit hours for prosecutors. There is a twenty-four (24) hour limitation on Live Interactive Webinars (Gov. Bar R. X, Sec. 5 (E)(2)).
The webinar is FREE to participants. Upon completing the webinar, each attendee must email his/ her Ohio bar number to hreesetsrp@gmail.com as certification of attendance, and she will submit them to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) provides officers with general knowledge related to drug impaired driving and to promote the use of Drug Recognition Experts (DRE). Law enforcement officers will learn to observe, identify and articulate the signs of impairment related to drugs, alcohol, or a combination of both, in order to reduce the number of impaired driving crashes.
The ARIDE program stresses the importance of the signs and symptoms of the seven drug categories. Officers attending this course will receive an update/refresher of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFSTs) and must successfully pass an SFST proficiency evaluation. This training also promotes interaction with representatives from the state's prosecution community who are encouraged to attend. The instructors for this course are all Ohio DRE certified instructors.
Prerequisite: Law enforcement officers must have had training in SFST (previously ADAP). This course is funded through an OTSO/NHTSA grant and is free for sworn Ohio law enforcement officers and prosecutors only. Tuition for out-of-state officers is $250.
To view the upcoming classes and to register, click here.
Drug Recognition Expert Program
The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program is a traffic safety program that focuses on the detection, apprehension and adjudication of drug-impaired drivers.
A DRE is a law enforcement officer highly trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than or in addition to alcohol.
For more information, upcoming training dates and how to apply for this free training, please view the DRE Application, School Information and upcoming classes by clicking here.
April 2021
Dear Colleagues,
Please find attached the April edition of NHTSA’s Impaired Driving Division Update by clicking here.
In this edition you will find a variety information including; a sneak peek into NHTSA’s virtual booth at the Lifesavers Conference, two funding opportunities for drug-impaired driving enforcement, and a job opening at NHTSA.
We hope you find the Update helpful.
Healthy Wishes,
Morgan
REMEMBER the OTSO offers materials for numerous traffic safety campaigns, including impaired driving, restraint usage, distracted driving, speeding and motorcycles. Utilizing the numerous materials found here can make an impact that will reach beyond your community. By raising public awareness YOU can help save lives. The order form can be found by clicking here.
