‘Progress Zone’ will encourage traffic safety By Cecile Wehrman The North Dakota Petroleum Council and the North Dakota Department of Transportation this summer are rolling out a new public awareness campaign aimed at making all drivers more safe on the road. “The biggest thing is addressing the concern with the increased amount of traffic,” said the DOT’s Mark Nelson, safety director. Though the project is expected to launch yet this summer, it’s taken many months to determine what the focus of the program should be. It all started last fall, said Kelly Wald, communications manager with the NDPC. “We were really focusing on safety,” she said, so they formed a safety committee to look at three keys: wellsite safety, ground disturbance and public safety. As well, she said, her agency conducted a public perception survey last fall, which identified housing and roads/traffic safety as the top two concerns among people polled. The DOT, in turn, received a grant of $20,000 from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to conduct a safety campaign. That money was supplemented with funds from an oil and gas research program grant. The goal -- to focus on creating driver awareness of increased traffic and to encourage safe driving habits. The name “Progress Zone” was coined and a logo developed to identify the messages. Wald said the title seems to fit what’s going on in the area these days. “Western North Dakota is really a ‘progress zone’ right now. There’s a lot of growth and development,” she said, and with that development comes added traffic. If there’s one overall message she hopes people will get from the campaign it is “be patient.” That message will be delivered through billboards, bumper stickers and giveaways at events like the Oil Can! Cookfest. Key components of the program, which will include a number of secondary messages, are still being developed, but Wald said reminders to pass with caution and to buckle up are sure to be among them. But Nelson said the campaign is not just aimed at the general public. Though longtime residents of North Dakota are greatly impacted by the change in trafic patterns, the messages about patience and safety are just as important for the truck drivers to receive. That said, Nelson believes the perception that an increase in fatalities or accidents involving semis is unfounded. Though the number of crashes and fatalities is definitely up in recent years, “It has not been disproportionate,” he said. He attributes the increased danger on North Dakota roads to “a lot of impatient type of driving,” including following too close for safety and passing at times when it isn’t safe. “Our priority is safety for everyone out there,” he said. Coming as he does from a law enforcement background, Nelson believes enforcement is important, “but I truly believe our educational campaign is necessary. It brings the message to the public that these are the issues we’re seeing out there. If we don’t get that message out there we’re not doing our jobs.” One thing is certain: Now that traffic has increased, it’s not going to go away any time soon. “Everybody has to get How dangerous are ND roads? The North Dakota Department of Transportation was happy to partner with the North Dakota Petroleum Council on a program to create awareness of the need for more patience among driers. Traffic accidents and fatalities are up. For instance, in 2010, there were 105 fatalities during the whole year, but already in 2011, there have been 37 fatalities in the 17 oil and gas producing counties alone. “I think that number is telling,” said Mark Nelson, safety director for the ND DOT. In fact, the number of fatalities this year is up statewide, so it’s not just the oil patch. The number of fatalities statewide this year so far is 140 -- the highest since 1982. along,” Nelson said, and that means a change in driving habits for everyone. NORTHWEST Septic & Oil Field Service Inc. Potable Water Transportation. Well Watching. Portable Toilets. Jeff Greaves, Owner Crosby, ND 58730-0510 Call 701-965-6543 Cell 701-641-8614 Cell 701-240-6282 greaves@nccray.net 12
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