ThinkFirst Foundation 2020 Grant Announcement
Traffic Safety Grants
Naperville, IL - The ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation (ThinkFirst Foundation) was recently awarded two transportation safety education grants to reduce transportation-related injuries and fatalities on our roadways. Traumatic injury is a leading cause of death and disability among children, teens and adults. The most frequent causes are vehicle crashes and simple actions can greatly reduce our risk for injury, such as wearing a seat belt, not driving impaired, without distractions and following traffic laws as a pedestrian and bicyclist.
General Motors awarded a one-year grant for ThinkFirst’s project ‘Expanding Traffic Safety Programs to High Risk Road Users.’ ThinkFirst programs teach people of all ages to take responsibility in using vehicle restraints, limiting driver distraction and other safety measures to reduce all road-user’s risk for injury. This project will expand the reach of ThinkFirst injury prevention programs throughout the United States by establishing new ThinkFirst chapters and training health educators to deliver ThinkFirst transportation safety programing to thousands of additional children and adults in schools and community settings. Educational materials and messaging will also be enhanced and developed including the integration of a ThinkFirst Safe Driver Pledge rolling out across the country January 2020.
Illinois Department of Transportation has awarded a FY2020 Highway Safety Grant, working to meet the goal of zero fatalities on Illinois roadways, to the ThinkFirst Foundation beginning October 1, 2019. This project will enhance and expand the transportation safety-related educational presentation materials in English and Spanish used by injury prevention professionals for teens and parents of teen drivers. Programs are intended to improve teen driver compliance of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws and other safety measures for reducing crashes, injuries and deaths among new, inexperienced drivers in Illinois and create a culture of safety for all roadway users.
###
About ThinkFirst: The mission of ThinkFirst is to prevent brain, spinal cord and other traumatic injuries through education, research and advocacy. Founded by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation, based in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, is an independent 501c3 charitable organization. For more information on ThinkFirst visit www.thinkfirst.org.