The University’s Traffic Injury Prevention Institute recently received an $836,470 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to continue to train technicians how to keep Georgians of all ages safe on the road.

Three main programs will benefit from the new grant: the Child Passenger Safety Technician certification, Georgia Teens Ride with Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error and CarFit.

Statewide, all three programs certify about 215 technicians annually to teach the courses.

“The focus of our grant this time is on training and education,” said Frankie Jones, GTIPI’s director and author of both the PRIDE and CarFit programs.

Technicians from the Child Passenger Safety training course teach parents how to put their children in child safety seats, since most seats on the road are improperly installed or used incorrectly, Jones said.

“Most parents are aware now of the importance of making sure their child is restrained,” Jones said. “But we still see a lot of misuse – for example, one arm over the harness means they aren’t properly restrained.”

The Georgia Teens Ride with PRIDE program aims to help both teenagers and their parents navigate the sometimes stressful learning-to-drive process. The course is particularly targeted at teenagers between ages 14 and 16 as they apply for a learner’s permit or prepare to test for a standard driving license.

The main objective is to keep students aware of common road hazards, but instructors also include parents in the process.

“Research shows that parents’ influence has a significant impact on changing teens’ high risk behaviors and attitudes,” Jones said.

Last year, about 1,800 teenagers and parents completed the PRIDE program, Jones said.

GTIPI’s CarFit program is designed to help senior citizens continue to drive safely well into their later years.

Jones said instructors recognize elderly people need a “refresher course” to remind them of common safety measures to keep in mind while driving, as most have never had to prove their driving capabilities beyond a required test every few years.

“Actually, this course teaches things that are appropriate for any age driver, it’s just that the course was formed with the elderly in mind,” Jones said.

CarFit event coordinators, or technicians certified to teach the course, learn how to check seniors in their cars and instruct them on proper safety measures.

For example, they make sure the student is properly positioned in his or her seat to see over the steering wheel, and the car mirrors are positioned to eliminate glare and blind spots.

Last year, CarFit certified 39 event coordinators, according to Jones.

Jones said he hopes the grant will allow GTIPI to continue to provide these educational services to Georgia drivers.

“We have applied for this grant annually since the ’80s. We at first focused on car seats, and that first grant was $5,000,” Jones said.