Missouri youth safety initiative receives national grant

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Department of Transportation was recently awarded a national grant to help fund a youth safety initiative known as “traffic gardens.”

The grant, awarded by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the National Road Safety Foundation, includes $25,000 to increase the use of the traffic gardens across the state.

Traffic gardens are small-sized streets with scaled-down traffic features where children practice and learn safety skills in an area free from motor vehicles. MoDOT plans to host at least ten traffic garden events at rural or high-priority elementary schools across the state.

 “Traffic gardens provide a safe environment to help develop safety habits in the next generation of drivers,” said Jon Nelson, State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer. “As we work to encourage schools and communities to implement traffic gardens, this grant opportunity will help us provide them additional support so they can learn the process and continue this important work long after the grant opportunity has ended.”

 This grant will help MoDOT fund the implementation of traffic gardens across the state throughout the year. There is funding for an estimated 10 communities, and five communities are firmly committed. Communities interested in implementing a traffic garden can contact the MoDOT Highway Safety and Traffic Division at 800-800-BELT.

For more information about traffic gardens and other highway safety initiatives in Missouri, visit www.savemolives.com