Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver

Posted on 11/13/2025 by Traffic Safety Team

The Florida Department of Transportation is focused on Target Zero and the goal of zero deaths on our roadways. District Two’s Community Traffic Safety Program has addressed traffic safety issues in Northeast Florida for almost three decades. We have promoted the Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver campaign and Recipes for the Road since 1998. According to Florida’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), one out of every four traffic fatalities in Florida involves a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs.

During the holiday season, District Two Community Traffic Safety Team (CTST) members reach out to local restaurants and bars to display the Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver campaign. In the past, materials include 11×17 full-color posters, coasters, stickers, and nonalcoholic recipe books. Numerous neighborhood establishments throughout Northeast Florida participate every year. CTST members, partners, and agencies may click here to order posters and recipe cards for distribution while supplies last.

Impaired Driving Initiative

The Celebrate Safely impaired driving initiative was created to help reduce alcohol-related traffic deaths and injuries throughout the holiday season. Safety messages are vital at any time of year, especially during the holidays. Important impaired driving safety tips and reminders included in this campaign:

Before drinking alcohol, designate a non-drinking driver.
Never let your friends drive impaired.
Get a safe ride home – call a cab or ride-share service.
If you’re hosting a party, offer alcohol-free beverages, serve food, and ensure all guests leave with a sober driver.

Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver and Recipes for the Road focus on the SHSP strategies of both education and insight into creating safer communities, by working with local partners. This includes law enforcement, team members, restaurants, and bars. The goal is to promote responsible alcohol service and personal use at events or party hosting. They also promote safe transportation choices that encourage alternatives to driving while impaired.

Free Social Media Resources

Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver 2025 social media graphic

Be a positive influencer and a Community Traffic Safety Team “Virtual Volunteer.” Share these #CelebrateSafely images and reminders on your social media accounts. Don’t forget to follow and tag us! @trafficsafetyteam on Facebook and Instagram or @trafficsafetyfl on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver 2024 social media graphic

Celebrate Safely Designate a Driver 2023

Celebrate Safely Designate a Driver 2022 art

2021 Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver Social Media Graphic

2018 Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver Social Media Graphic

2013 Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver Social Media Graphic

2010 Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver Social Media Graphic

UNF Traffic Safety Outreach

Posted on 03/05/2024 by Traffic Safety Team

FDOT District Two Community Traffic Safety Program joined forces with the University of North Florida Student Government, the UNF Police Department, and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department in Duval. The UNF traffic safety outreach promoted safe driving behaviors with students. This great little pop-up event supported Target Zero to help eliminate deaths on our roadways.

Collaboration with UNF College to Save Lives

With Spring Break coming up soon, this was perfect timing. Students got to steer through a course with impairment simulation goggles and chat about driving safely for UNF’s Safety Week! The #TargetZeroFL weekly planners and to-do note pads were a big hit.

Special thanks to Duval Traffic Safety Team member Karen Livingston with the UNF Police Department. Her experience, dedication, and joy are evident among students on the UNF campus. She set up the Drunk Goggle Obstacle Course and Walk the Line for students to try the impaired driver simulations using Fatal Vision goggles.

Taking a Turn Through the Obstacles

Each little orange cone represented a pedestrian, and quite a few did get run over! Luckily, no one was hurt while test-driving with the “drunk goggles.” It was great to hear the students committing to driving safely. Of course, our Jacksonville Fire and Rescue crew is on board with safety on the road.

Jacksonville Fire Rescue traffic safety outreach

Traffic Safety Targeting Aggressive Driving

Proud UNF alumni and mother of current UNF student pose for a photo op! In the past, we highlighted this local teen driver. He was caught speeding well above the limit, and as part of his punishment, he helped us make a short video with his “Reasons NOT to SPEED.” Today, we are happy to announce he’s setting an excellent example with ZERO violations or crashes. Let’s keep up the good work!

More UNF Traffic Safety Outreach Photos

If you share any of these photos, please tag us on Facebook and Instagram @trafficsafetyteam and @MyFDOTNEFL and hashtag #TargetZeroFL.

Additional Traffic Safety Information and Resources

Teen Drivers Speeding

Driving Tips for Teens

Target Zero and Safe System Approach

Defensive Driving Tools for Safety

Posted on 08/24/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

Defensive Driving Tools for Safety was written and presented by Jeff Hohlstein, a Community Traffic Safety Team member in Clay County, Florida. This educational driving and traffic safety presentation is geared toward aging road users. However, these are essential tips and reminders for all drivers.

Defensive Driving Tools for Safety Presentation:

Learn about setting side view mirrors for blind spots. Understand the importance of keeping a safe following distance and obeying the speed limit. Maintaining a safe following distance is a good idea for all drivers to keep in mind. While this rule is flexible and isn’t always appropriate in every driving situation, it can foster good driving habits that reduce the risk of rear-end collisions and similar accidents. In addition, being a safe driver can earn discounts on auto insurance premiums.

Gain an understanding of observing a vehicle’s front wheels, approaching intersections safely, and scanning through a signalized intersection. Learn how to use the OODA Loop while driving. OODA is an acronym for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. When you do it again and again, it becomes a constant decision loop. Retired Colonel John Boyd, USAF, developed this rapid decision-making tool. Today, OODA is used by many Armed Forces and Police agencies and can be used as a defensive driving tool for motorists.

Most people set their side view mirrors straight back and miss their blind spot completely. The video covers how to set your side view mirrors to cover your blind spot.

This video discusses how to use OODA to stay safe while driving. Defensive driving is much about managing space around your vehicle. The most controllable area you have is your safe following distance. OODA will help you do that right. OODA will also help you develop scan patterns for navigating intersections and avoiding a collision when someone unsafely enters your right-of-way.

Uses of OODA in defensive driving:

Observe > Following distance, traffic patterns; intersections of all kinds; vehicles around you.
Orient > Calculate the following distance; identify other potential conflicts.
Decide > Action to maintain safe following distance; plan to avoid those other conflicts.
Act > Establish/reestablish safe following distance; avoid those other conflicts whether or not the crash would have been your fault.
Do it again > Practice OODA until it’s as natural as driving itself.

Jeff Hohlstein presenting Defensive Driving Tools for Safety

Click here to read Jeff Hohlstein’s first article, Three Defensive Driving Tools to Avoid Great Impact, and what the video presentation from 2020.

UPDATED Florida Bike Safety Law

Posted on 03/29/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

We are concerned Florida is still one of the most dangerous states for cyclists and want to take this opportunity to remind cyclists, pedestrians and motorists of the updated Florida bike safety law. Passed to improve bike safety on our roadways, this bill went into effect on July 1, 2021, and was .

2021 summary of some of the updated Florida bike safety law changes that were made to the existing statute:

Motorists can make a right turn while passing a bicyclist only if the bicyclist is a minimum of 20 feet from the intersection.
Florida driver’s license exams will now include bicycle safety questions.
Cyclists in groups of 10 or fewer can proceed through an intersection after coming to a complete stop. Motorists must let the last rider pass before proceeding.
Motorists MUST obey the 3 feet passing law.

Drivers who do not obey the law could be subject to a non-criminal moving violation.

To read more about these important updates, visit the Florida Senate website: CS/SB 950: Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety.

Northeast Florida Bicyclist Crash Facts:

6,146 Floridians were injured in bike-related crashes in 2021. Of those, Northeast Florida DOT District 2 reported 500 injuries, which includes 13 fatalities. The number of fatal injuries from bicycle crashes declined from 23 in 2020.
Bicycle fatality and serious injury crashes made up about 8% of the total fatality and serious injury crashes on our Northeast Florida District roadways during 2021.
Almost ¾ of all bike crashes happen in broad daylight.
Bike crashes tend not to be the result of the cyclist or motorist being impaired.
Duval County had the most serious bike-related injuries and fatalities in District 2 in 2021.

The Traffic Safety Team website has dozens of important bicycle safety tips and resources. They are available for free. Below are some that you may download, print and share.

Visit our Bicycle Safety page for more resources. Materials are free to download and share. There are bookmarks, tip cards, posters and social media graphics. We also have a Safety for Kids page with bike safety activities!

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon

Posted on 07/16/2021 by Traffic Safety Team

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHBs) are designed to help pedestrians safely cross busy or higher-speed roadways at midblock crossings and uncontrolled intersections. These are the areas where most pedestrian fatalities occur. The PHB is an intermediate option between a flashing beacon and a full pedestrian signal. It assigns right-of-way, provides positive stop control, and allows motorists to proceed once the pedestrian has cleared the travel lane.

PHB High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk Operation Guide

The FDOT District Two Community Traffic Safety Program developed a simple guide to help explain the process of a PHB. Instructions are included for both motorists and pedestrians. Learn what drivers and pedestrians should do when they approach a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon.

Click here to download the PDF Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon Guide, watch the video, and flip through the digital book below.

Northeast Florida uses PHBs in communities to increase driver awareness of pedestrian crossings at uncontrolled, marked crosswalk locations. They are different from regular pre-timed pedestrian traffic signals as they are only activated when needed by the pedestrian.

PHB Instructions for Drivers and Pedestrians

1)

Drivers will see all indication lights are dark when there is no pedestrian waiting to cross, and the pedestrian signal will maintain a “DON’T WALK” symbol.
Pedestrians who want to cross the street will need to push the button to activate the system.

2)

Drivers will see a FLASHING YELLOW light for a few seconds when pedestrians push the button. Drivers should reduce speed and prepare to stop.
Pedestrians will still see the “DON’T WALK” symbol and should wait.

3)

Drivers will see the flashing go to a STEADY YELLOW light, warning them that the indication will soon turn to a STEADY RED light.
Pedestrians continue to see the “DON’T WALK” symbol and should remain waiting.

4)

Drivers will see a STEADY RED light, which requires them to STOP at the stop line.
Pedestrians will then see a “WALK” symbol to cross and should look in both directions to make sure all vehicles are stopped.

5)

Drivers will see ALTERNATING FLASHING RED lights as pedestrians cross the street. During this period, drivers are required to STOP, and then they may proceed with caution if the crosswalk is clear.
Pedestrians will see the WALK indication change to a flashing countdown that indicates how much time they have remaining to cross the street.

6)

Drivers will see all lights return to dark at the end of the flashing countdown and may proceed through the crosswalk if it is clear.
Pedestrians will see the “DON’T WALK” symbol and must push the button to activate the system again.

For more Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon resources and information, visit: FHWA Safety Program.

No Regrets When You DRIVE WITH CARE and CROSS WITH CARE

Pedestrian Safety

Traffic Safety Team

Bringing you home safely

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