Recently, students from the Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program Chapters in Proctor High School and Stafford Technical Center began a partnership with the Rutland Free Library in Rutland which is aimed at reducing excessive speed on roads and highways and the many crashes which result from speeding. At the winter meeting of the Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program (VTLSP), an organization of high school students from about 40 Vermont schools, which focuses on highway safety issues, the students decided that they wanted to work on a project to reduce the incidence of speeding and the deaths and injuries resulting from speeding.
They came up with a theme for the campaign, “Slow Down, Stick Around”. The theme would be printed on ribbons and would have a card explaining the risks of speeding attached. The plan originally was to disseminate these ribbons at highway rest areas and visitors centers, but when they were done, some additional venues were discussed- auto body and repair shops, chambers of commerce, and car dealers. Someone else recognized that the ribbons would make excellent book marks, and would tend to be used over and over, so libraries became sites to give out the ribbons and cards.
Some of the facts involving speeding are: 36% of all fatal motorcycle crashes are speed related, as speed goes up, the likelihood of a fatality increases, and young males are the most likely to be involved in a fatal speed-related crash.
The students involved in delivering the basket full of ribbons and cards to Dan Amesburry, the assistant director of the Rutland Free Library were: Taylor Trombley of Proctor High School and her VTLSP Advisor, Claire Molner, two students from Rutland High School’s GMTI Program, Jonathan Giffin and Cameo Bixby- Clemons, Lt. Kevin Geno of the Rutland City Police Department, Rutland County Sherriff Stephen Benard, and two Stafford Technical Center students, Kayla Jones of Tinmouth, and Ashley Barnes of Rutland.
Photo: Slow Down, Stick Around Rutland at the Rutland Free Library: Dan Amesburry (w/beard), Claire Molner, Jonathan Giffin, Lt. Kevin Geno, Ashley Barnes, Kayla Jones, and Taylor Trombley