University receives grant for more than $8,500 through Governor’s Office of Highway Safety

December 20, 2016

For the 10th year in a row, the Dean of Students Office at Georgia Southern University has received a grant through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to participate in the Georgia Young Adult Program. The program helps educate students about the dangers of alcohol abuse, underage drinking and impaired driving.

The grant, awarded in the amount of $8,597, allows the University’s Office of  Alcohol and Other Drugs Programs to promote the “Safe Rides Save Lives” campaign, which discourages driving while under the influence of alcohol. The office coordinates impaired driving prevention programs, which include Fatal Vision Goggles and DUI simulators.

“The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety grant is a vital resource for the Office of Alcohol and Other Drugs at the institution,” said Mark Whitesel, Ph.D., associate dean of students at Georgia Southern. “The funding is critical to the educational activities and efforts to engage students regarding healthy behaviors with alcohol. We are looking forward to some great opportunities for students this year with the continued and increased funding from prior years. The grant funding will continue to support programming and our drunk driving prevention efforts.”

The Georgia Young Adult Program is designed to promote education and awareness about highway safety issues including underage drinking, impaired driving, destructive decisions and other high-risk behaviors in order to decrease young adult crashes, injuries and fatalities.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety coordinates with colleges and universities throughout Georgia to implement the program, which has been successful in using strategies such as peer education, providing educational speakers to schools and encouraging schools to develop creative, innovative techniques to lower the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities among young adults.