13 February 2006

Governor Sebelius aims to reduce traffic fatalities
“Driving Force” will seek to make roads, highways safer

Traffic crashes are the number-one killer of children in Kansas, the number one killer of teenagers and the number one killer of adults under the age of 34. To help reduce these fatalities, Governor Kathleen Sebelius today announced the creation of a new group devoted to making Kansas streets, roads and highways safer.

The Driving Force is a task force made up of more than 20 leaders from across the state. The task force is charged with recommending ways to reduce the number of fatalities. These recommendations will encompass the areas of education, enforcement, legislation, and road engineering.

“On average, we’re losing more than one Kansan a day to traffic accidents. These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, friends and loved ones,” said Sebelius. “We need to find ways to reduce the number of deaths and injuries that happen on Kansas roads.”

Jeff Boerger, president of the Kansas Speedway, and Darlene Whitlock, Trauma Project Coordinator with Stormont-Vail TraumaCare, will co-chair the Driving Force.

Boerger and Whitlock are both leaders in the state and have shown a dedication and passion for this issue. Other members of the Driving Force come from the public and private sector representing many different fields including medicine, education, law enforcement, insurance, media, and public advocacy.

Reducing the number of traffic fatalities is also one of the aims of a unique cross-agency endeavor that has just been initiated. The Kansas Department of Transportation led by Secretary Deb Miller, the Kansas Highway Patrol led by Col. Bill Seck, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment led by Secretary Rod Bremby have joined together to promote safer driving and safer roads. Driving Force is intended to complement this effort.

The first meeting of the task force will be Friday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kansas Highway Patrol Training Academy in Salina..