Recipes for the Road

Posted on 11/17/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

The Florida Department of Transportation District Two and the Community Traffic Safety Program are excited to present the 25th Annual Recipes for the Road. For a quarter century, we have worked to make a positive impact and help keep people safe on our roads during the holidays. This year we have printed a four-page Recipes for the Road card to distribute throughout Northeast Florida. A 25th-anniversary edition is available online as a digital flipbook or PDF download, and a special limited supply of printed keepsake books.

Much appreciation goes to Northeast Florida’s Community Traffic Safety Team members, partners, and volunteers that continue promoting traffic safety. They share our passion and goal of reducing alcohol-related traffic crashes and fatalities on our roadways. These people and organizations have been instrumental in the success of our Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver program, and the Recipes for the Road booklet for 25 years!

Our goal is to help stop impaired driving and reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes and fatalities in Northeast Florida this holiday season and throughout the year. Every issue is filled with unique nonalcoholic drinks, mocktails, appetizers, treats, and traffic safety tips. Past editions from last year to the inaugural issue in 1997 are available below.

Recipes for the Road is part of our Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver program. The program focuses on the SHSP strategies of both education and insight into creating safer communities. They are specifically designed to work with local partners, including law enforcement, team members, restaurants, and bars, to promote responsible alcohol service and personal use at events or party hosting. The campaign promotes safe transportation choices that encourage alternatives to driving while impaired.

Be Responsible – Do Not Drink and Drive

Thanksgiving through the New Year is a fun and festive time of year. Throughout this fall and winter season there are many celebrations, family gatherings, festivals, football pre-game tailgating and holiday parties. They are all best enjoyed when we celebrate responsibly. Please always drive safe and sober.

Please share and enjoy all these mocktails, food recipes, safety activity games and traffic safety tips. Click here to view our Mocktail drink and food recipe videos available online.

YouTube Mocktail Recipes for the Road Playlist:

Mocktails • Recipes • Safety Tips

Printable 8.5×11 Sheets with Recipe Cards, Traffic Safety, and Impaired Driving Tips

Recipes for the Road, 24th edition - inside pages — 2021 printable PDF

Recipes for the Road - 23rd edition — 2020 printable PDF

Previous Recipes for the Road Editions

Click here to view the Recipes for the Road digital flip bookcase of all volumes. The previous editions are below to view or download a PDF copy:

24th Recipes for the Road — *24th – 2021*

Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver

Additional Impaired Driving Information and Resources

FDOT District Two CTSP’s Impaired Driving Traffic Safety Messages
FDOT Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
NHTSA Drug-Impaired Driving and Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
CDC’s Florida Sobering Facts: Alcohol-Impaired Driving fact sheet
CDC’s Drug-Impaired Driving fact sheet
FLHSMV Driving Safety – Impairment is No Illusion

Traffic Safety Virtual Backgrounds

Posted on 06/16/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

Since things have gone virtual and may remain this way for the unforeseeable future, we invite you to browse our traffic safety virtual backgrounds. These graphics are from the Florida Department of Transportation District Two’s Community Traffic Safety Program. They include educational campaigns for emphasis areas within the Florida Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), the state’s strategy to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities across the transportation system.

These virtual backgrounds were initially created during the COVID pandemic. Since then, the FDOT has introduced Target Zero, a statewide initiative to reduce the number of transportation-related serious injuries and deaths across Florida to ZERO. We have recently added the Target Zero logo to these graphics to help promote this goal and engage with Northeast Florida road users.

Check out our traffic safety inspired virtual background options!

Download free wallpaper backgrounds. First, click on a traffic safety topic that is important to you. Then save it to your computer and upload it to your virtual meeting platform(s). They may also be used as computer monitor desktop backgrounds or screen savers. Finally, use and share to help change driver behaviors and reach ZERO deaths on our local roadways.

This is a great and free way to share important traffic safety topics in a fun and interactive way while disguising your home or workspace. These graphics are simple, colorful, and the perfect way to stand out from the crowd during any meeting or class. Also, an excellent conversion starter idea!

Learn more about Florida’s Target Zero

On average, eight people are killed, and 49 are seriously injured on Florida’s roads daily. In most of those severe and fatal crashes, driver behavior is a contributing factor. This initiative focuses on connecting, interacting, and designing our transportation system to specifically relate to those (drivers) most involved in crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities.

The Northeast Florida Community Traffic Safety Program is working to improve how we connect, interact, plan, design, educate, and solve traffic safety concerns as part of Target Zero.

In Florida, Target Zero builds upon the Vision Zero belief by focusing on influencing dangerous driver behaviors before serious and fatal crashes occur. Target Zero aligns resources and establishes actions for all safety partners to take evolutionary steps to improve how Florida connects, interacts, plans, designs, operates and maintains its transportation system.

Eliminating roadway fatalities is our highest priority. We recognize achieving zero fatalities and serious injuries will not be easy and will require commitment, energy, and innovation. Together, we can make progress to achieve our target of ZERO.

Traffic Safety is Going Green

Posted on 04/07/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

In honor of Earth Day, and upcoming Arbor Day, we wanted to share a positive change from the devastating COVID pandemic and how Traffic Safety is Going Green. By going virtual for our Traffic Safety Team meetings, we reduced our paper consumption and waste. This simple act of green saved over 30,000 sheets of paper during the last year.

Eliminating printed meeting packages, presentations and newsletters reduced paper usage substantially. Saving the files digitally also allows for team members to view the materials before, during and after a meeting. This is also a great resource for those who were unable to attend the virtual meeting. We saved paper and ink and we offered a new digital service for our Community Traffic Safety advocates.

The Northeast Florida Department of Transportation District Two’s Community Traffic Safety Program hosted online monthly county team meetings, and districtwide summer and winter virtual gatherings over the past year. This gave an opportunity for team members and partners throughout our 18 counties to connect safely, while also reducing their carbon footprint and gas consumption by not traveling by car.

Our Traffic Safety Teams are on the road to safety and happy to go green. With the use of digital devices and online resources, the trend of helping save our planet and going green can continue regardless of where or how we meet in the future.

More Seasons of Safety, including this Go Green for Earth Day image can be found by clicking here.

National School Bus Safety Week

Posted on 10/18/2021 by Traffic Safety Team

National School Bus Safety Week (NSBSW) usually takes place the third week in October. The Northeast Florida Community Traffic Safety Program highlights school bus safety tips and information to share. Please join us in advocating for school bus safety to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities on our roadways.

Every year, approximately 440,000 public school buses travel more than 4 billion miles and daily transport 24 million children to and from schools and school-related activities. School buses account for an estimated 10 billion student trips each year.*

Also in honor of National School Bus Safety Week, we would like to thank all bus drivers and also acknowledge the shortage in our local communities. We appreciate everyone working together to make sure children get to school and back home safely.

School Bus Safety Rules for Drivers

Learn and obey the school bus laws in your state.
Be sure to acquaint yourself with the flashing light system that school bus drivers use to alert motorists.
Yellow flashing lights mean that the school bus is preparing to stop. Motorists should slow down and be ready to stop their vehicles.
Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm indicate that the school bus has stopped, and children are boarding or exiting.
Two-lane road: all vehicles in both directions must stop.
On a divided highway with a raised median, unpaved space, or a physical barrier of at least five feet: vehicles traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop.
Divided highway where no median or barrier exists: all vehicles are mandated to stop.

School Bus Safety Reminders for Students

Arrive early.
Don’t push or cut in line.
Stay out of the “danger zone,” 10 steps away from the bus.
Wait for the bus driver to open the door before trying to get on.
Keep the aisle clear of your backpack, bag, or books.
Talk quietly during the entire bus ride.
Keep your hands, arms, and head inside the bus at all times.
Walk in front of the bus to cross the street, never behind it.

National Coalition for Safer Roads introduced the theme Expect the Unexpected. Know the Danger Zone. Click here to check out what they have to offer this year.

Additional Safety Information and Resources for Drivers and Children:

School Bus Safety

Illegal School Bus Passing Fines Doubled

Safety for Kids

_{*source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration}

Traffic Safety Wise Words

Posted on 09/07/2021 by Traffic Safety Team

The Northeast Florida CTSP launched the Wise Words safety campaign in 2018 with team member Walt Duffany’s Walt’s Wise Words. Walt began working with the District Two CTST when he was an FDOT Lake City shop supervisor. He retired from FDOT in 2015. He now serves as Deputy Reservist Coordinator for Columbia County Fire Rescue as a volunteer. Walt and his family moved to Florida from Watertown, New York in 1986. In New York, he worked for the Town of Adams highway department. He is also a Navy veteran and spent time in Vietnam. Thank you, Walt, for all of your clever safety messages and for your service!

When the campaign launched with Walt’s Wise Words, the graphic consisted of a car with a bumper sticker with a Wise Words slogan. It has since morphed into a campaign with colorful images, graphics and catchy phrases which are all original and created by District Two CTST team members. The traffic safety Wise Words are short, smart messages targeted to drivers. They are focused on a variety of topics like distracted, impaired, tailgating, turn signals, and buckling up. Additional traffic safety campaigns were created for Work Zone Awareness, Occupant Protection, Distracted Driving, Safe Distancing Driving, Stop on Red, and Impaired Driving, among others.

Share Traffic Safety Wise Words

Be a Community Traffic Safety Team “Virtual Volunteer”. Share these Wise Words on your social media accounts. Don’t forget to tag us! Facebook / Instagram: @trafficsafetyteam • Twitter / Pinterest / LinkedIn: @trafficsafetyfl