County Offering Grants to Youth For Pedestrian Safety Education

Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is launching the “Walk Your Way” project as part of an initiative to educate high school students about the importance of pedestrian safety. The County will award up to $2,000 to teams of high school students for creating, designing and implementing a pedestrian safety education program at their high school. Project ideas include painting sidewalks, designing and distributing posters and other materials or holding a school-wide assembly. Other ideas are listed on the County’s website.

To be eligible for the project grant, students must work in groups of two or more and have the support of at least one teacher or staff supervisor. The project must be completed by April 30, 2014.

MCDOT and Montgomery County Public Schools have successfully partnered on pedestrian safety education efforts at Blair High School and at Seneca Valley High School. The Walk Your Way grants are designed to bring pedestrian safety messages to even more high school students.

Safe Kids Worldwide found that one in five high school students crossed the street while distracted. Most often these students were texting and using headphones. In 2013, its Teens and Distraction Research Report also found that older teens account for 50 percent of all pedestrian deaths among those under 20 years of age and that there was a 25 percent increase in pedestrian injuries among those ages 16 to 19 over the last five years.

Students interested in applying for the grants should submit an application by 5 p.m. on December 16 to walkyourway@montgomerycountymd.gov or Walk Your Way, 101 Monroe Street, 10th Floor, Rockville, MD 20850. Mailed applications must be postmarked by December 16.

More information about the Walk Your Way project is available on the County’s website. Contact Nadji Kirby or Alex Cohen at walkyourway@montgomerycountymd.gov for additional information about the application or the high school pedestrian safety initiative.

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