The Hispanic community is actively participating in and promoting Safe Communities in Region II (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands). In January 1998, NHTSA and the Hispanic Federation of New York City hosted a Hispanic Traffic Safety Conference: "Building Safe Communities." The conference introduced the Safe Communities program to community-based organizations concerned about the health of their communities. Traffic safety and the role it plays in building a healthy community was the primary focus. Hispanic Federation President Luis Miranda is a well-known figure to the Hispanic media and his leadership helped garner press, radio and TV coverage of the event. For more information, contact the NHTSA Region II Office (see "State and Regional Contacts" in this Program Planner) or Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez of the Hispanic Federation of NYC at 212-742-0707.
The Washington, D.C. area has the second-longest average commuting time, and it is also home to the U.S. Department of Transportation, so it was the perfect place to put the ONE DOT initiative into practice (see "Summer Travel is Intermodal"). DOT committed its resources as a full partner in the National Capital Region Congestion and Mobility Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional group working to address both today’s congestion and tomorrow’s transportation planning. All DOT agencies, including NHTSA, contribute to the effort, working alongside local government officials to extend the ONE DOT concept into local government transportation planning. The plan is to use the National Capital Region’s experience not only to help commuters in the Washington area, but also to develop strategies and tactics that can be adopted in other regions of the country. For more information, contact Ed Weiner at 202-366-5403.
