Prevention Partnership, an Austin group focused on solving community problems, received the Safe Communities for Illinois grant.
The grant is given by the Illinois Department of Transportation to help educate communities with high minority populations about the importance of wearing seat belts, not driving impaired, not driving distracted and making sure children are riding securely, in appropriate car seats.
The goal is simple: to save more lives.
A Memorial Weekend kick-off event will be held noon May 25th at the 15th District Police Station, 5701 W. Madison.
29th Ward Ald. Deborah L. Graham will attend to encourage residents to have a safe weekend on the roads.
The public is invited the free event, which is being held to raise awareness of the Safe Communities for Illinois Initiative and the Click It or Ticket Campaign during the Memorial Day holiday, a time when many take to the roadways to picnic and visit friends.
The single best way to prevent a serious injury or fatality from a motor vehicle crash is to wear a seat belt. Due to legislation such as the Illinois Primary Seat Belt Law and aggressive enforcement, the Illinois seat belt compliance rate in 2012 reached an all-time high of 93.6 percent. The number of traffic fatalities dropped below 1,000 in Illinois.
But statistics show a large percentage of traffic fatalities within the city of Chicago involved male drivers aged 18 to 34, many of whom were driving late at night, not wearing seat belts or driving while impaired.
To learn more about the event or the Safe Communities for Illinois Initiative or the Click It or Ticket campaign, contact the Prevention Partnership at 773-378-4195 or visit www.buckleupillinois.org.
A similar event was held May 20th at Po Fred’s Lounge, 5646 W. Madison St.