Who are the potential partners in your community?

	Employers are finding it is good business to institute traffic safety programs in the workplace because effective habits instilled at work transfer to employees at home, to their families, and to their communities, saving $50,000 for every million miles of travel. Educate employees about safe driving behavior.
	Health Care Providers can become safety advocates with patients by taking time to talk about injury prevention and by taking advantage of teachable moments when the injured are more susceptible to adopting improved health lifestyle behaviors. Become vocal traffic safety advocates in the community.
	Community and Civic Groups rarely have the financial resources to achieve goals by themselves, but by forming partnerships with other groups with common goals, enthusiasm can be translated into concrete accomplishments. Sponsor grass roots efforts to strengthen legislative action in traffic safety areas like a primary safety belt law or stronger impaired driving law.
	Educators influence the attitudes and behaviors of children and young adults, teaching far more than the “3Rs.” Educators can sponsor peer-to-peer programs such as Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and others. Educators can encourage safe walking behaviors to and from school and encourage safety on school buses. Establish partnerships with traffic engineers, program planners, and law enforcement to keep sending safety messages to young people.
	Law Enforcement agencies can identify the specific problems in traffic safety that would benefit from increased enforcement or increased education campaigns. Focused enforcement efforts on a particular problem, such as speeding or safety belt use, can have dramatic results. Identify local information (data) to support directing resources towards a particular problem and find out who else in the community shares the same concerns.
	Emergency Medial and Fire Services enjoy a high level of public confidence and can teach simple steps citizens can take to help in an emergency, such as Bystander Care. Take the lead and take the time to identify others who have a vested interest in solving common problems.
	Engineers have the technical expertise to identify specific traffic and roadway design problems. This expertise can be used in identifying engineering solutions that may be the most logical remedies for a particular roadway problem. Join forces with your state and community traffic engineers and join the Safe Communities program.

Many different groups invest major resources into traffic safety programs, working for better injury control. Some partnerships in traffic safety seem natural because some groups have worked together for many years (such as police and the media). These traditional partnerships are important for the work that must be done. But there are other potential partnerships that, at first glance, seem unconventional. Schools working with the judiciary, or police joining forces with the insurance industry, or health providers linking to local businesses are just a few examples.

Campaign Safe & Sober is a four-year program to capture the imagination, interest, and commitment of community partners to reduce alcohol-related injuries and fatalities and increase safety belt use on our nation’s roadways. Campaign Safe & Sober planners are published each quarter and each planner emphasizes specific topics.

Each winter, the 3D month planner includes materials to remind drivers of the dangers of alcohol-impaired driving during the holidays. The spring planners focus on occupant protection, including seat belts, child passenger safety, and air bags. The summer planners arrive in time for graduation and prom and highlight youth and young adult drivers. The fall planners focus on law enforcement issues, such as speed and aggressive driving. The planners present the newest public information and education materials available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).