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A Riverton-based nonprofit is continuing to drive home its mission of “Zero Deaths and Zero Injuries” on Wyoming roads.
Injury Prevention Resources (IPR) works to bring awareness to …
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A Riverton-based nonprofit is continuing to drive home its mission of “Zero Deaths and Zero Injuries” on Wyoming roads.
Injury Prevention Resources (IPR) works to bring awareness to impaired driving, distracted driving, seat belt use and car seat use. Their efforts include a roll-over simulator and #RoadWarrior events, where lifesaving advice is offered to people of all ages. IPR also offers a series of virtual traffic safety sessions at www.iprwyoming.org/traffic-safety-videos. The first recounts the story of former Cody-based Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Rodney Miears, who was seriously injured in a high-speed head-on collision with a commercial truck that turned in front of him. Miears credited his survival to wearing a seat belt on that 2015 day and urged drivers to avoid distractions. His wrecked patrol car continues to be put on display around the state “on a mission to tell us to buckle up and pay attention,” IPR Executive Director Noel Cooper says in the safety session. “The sad truth is that last year we lost 147 people on Wyoming roads. Many would have lived if they were wearing seat belts and driving sober.”
Improving those numbers “starts with you,” Cooper said.
The organization targets youthful audiences in its “Life RU Ready?” program by teaching middle schoolers about the potential outcomes of decisions they may face as they navigate adolescence.
“One of the best things about this program is it’s been longstanding enough to where we’re starting to get high school volunteers now who went through the program when they were younger,” said Cooper. “Some have said it was a turning point for them.”
In the recent run-up to Halloween, a national initiative headed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — and used widely by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming Department of Transportation and IPR — reminded drivers to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”
“We have a strong partnership with the State of Wyoming and our collective efforts are what has made these campaigns so successful,” Cooper said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes; that’s one person every 50 minutes.
To learn more, visit www.iprwyoming.org.
