MOUNT VERNON – The Ohio Department of Public Safety has awarded a $27,500 grant to Knox Public Health to promote traffic safety awareness in the county.

The county uses the annual competitive funding to coordinate initiatives led by the Knox County Safe Communities Coalition, which Knox Public health coordinated, according to a news release.

“Our goal every year is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in our community. Each life lost is one too many,” said Amy Seward, Knox Public Health’s Safe Communities coordinator. “So far this year, there have been nine traffic fatalities in Knox County. That’s an increase from past years when there were five in 2021, six in 2020 and seven in 2019.”

Five traffic strategies are the focus of the Safe Communities Grant: impaired driving/drugged driving, seat belt usage/“Click It or Ticket” initiatives, distracted driving, motorcycle awareness and youthful driver.

The coalition works with local law enforcement and other agencies to bring awareness to traffic safety trends seen in Knox County, the release said. Local traffic safety trends are identified through concerns addressed by local residents and crash data provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Twenty people have been killed on Knox County roads since 2020. Impaired driving and failure to wear seat belts and helmets are Knox County’s top traffic fatality trends. In the past two years, 30% of the traffic fatalities were caused by a driver impaired by drugs and/or alcohol, and nearly half were not wearing a seat belt or helmet while driving a motorcycle.

To get involved with the Knox County Safe Communities Coalition, contact Amy Seward at 740-392-2200, Ext. 2235, or aseward@knoxhealth.com.