AAA Honors Top Community Traffic Safety Programs in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York

    WASHINGTON--Oct. 17, 2002--AAA announced today that it is bestowing its most prestigious traffic safety honor to several communities who demonstrated that they have some of the best programs in the country to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries. New York City; Streamwood, Ill.; East Cleveland, Ohio; Sleepy Hollow, NY; Mt. Lebanon, Penn.; Garden City, NY; White Plaines, NY and the city of Springdale, Ohio have all earned AAA's Platinum award in the area of community traffic safety.
    "Identifying and successfully addressing hazardous local traffic problems is a serious challenge for communities across the United States, and one that's often overlooked" said Charles Butler, AAA director of traffic safety services. "These communities have shown incredible leadership and foresight in developing workable solutions that save lives."
    In the state of New York, AAA recognized several innovative safety programs. The communities of Garden City, White Plaines, and Sleepy Hollow all showed significant improvements in pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and seatbelt usage thanks to redesigned intersections and community education programs. New York City received the Platinum award for the third year in a row by demonstrating continuing declines in pedestrian and alcohol-related injuries, as well as their overall low rate of total traffic fatalities.
    In Ohio, AAA awarded the city of Springdale and East Cleveland for showing significant improvements in traffic safety. East Cleveland focused on reducing two specific auto driver behaviors that contribute to crashes, teen driving and driving while impaired. The city of Springdale, meanwhile, focused on reducing bicycle fatalities in their community, with great success - there have been no bicycle fatalities in the city of Springdale in the past five years.
    Streamwood, Ill. launched a campaign to educate the entire community, and specifically teenagers, about the necessity of seatbelt use. As a result, high school seatbelt use increased from 85% to 97%, and seatbelt use in general increased from 57% to 72% community-wide. Similarly, Mt. Lebanon, Penn. saw decreases in truck and impaired driving crashes as a result of their efforts.
    In addition, AAA recognized other communities with special gold awards for presenting statistical evidence of traffic safety program effectiveness.
    "The purpose of the award program is to give national and local recognition to these great efforts that have advanced the cause of traffic safety so they can be shared and emulated by others," said Butler.
    As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.
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