Town Safety

Parkside Safe Community Coalition

 

Friends of Parkside

Phone: 313-822-0311

E-mail: FOParkside@aol.com

Contact: Zachary Rowe

Region: Neighborhood within Detroit

 

Mission Statement

To proactively address traffic-related injuries and crashes in the Parkside Community, which includes the Villages at Parkside and Chandler Park.

 

Coalition Background

With numerous developments taking place in the community such as the Chandler Park Family Aquatic Center, Daimler-Chrysler Plant, New Developments in the Villages of Parkside and road reconstruction, the coalition of concerned residents identified traffic safety as a critical issue. They identified key community groups and agencies to collaborate with, and conducted the ACTS. They were the first Safe Community coalition in Detroit.

 

ACTS Information

The coalition conducted the ACTS in 1999. According to the ACTS results, top deficits include safety belt nonuse, alcohol server laws not enforced, frequent alcohol use, and a low rate of drunk driving arrests.

Asset scores were highest in the areas of urban planning, enforcement coordination, judicial support for traffic safety, and access to substance abuse treatment.

 

Strategies to address traffic safety deficits

  • The coalition sponsors and hosts an Annual Safety Fair in the neighborhood.
  • The coalition is very successful with engaging youth involvement and leadership. The youth group is called YESS, which means Youth Encouraging Seatbelt use and Safety. In the past few years members of YESS ages 14 to 16 successfully completed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's four-day Child Passenger Safety Technician Training, making them the youngest certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians in Michigan!

The purpose of YESS was to train and employ youth as child passenger safety advocates. As child passenger safety advocates, youth will be paired with adult volunteers to distribute car seats, conduct car seat inspections, and instruct parents and caregivers on the proper way to use car seats. In addition, youth will also conduct various traffic surveys, do bicycle helmet fittings, and do presentations to younger children about the importance of wearing their seat belts when riding in a car and wearing their helmets when riding their bikes, skates, or scooters.

  • Members of YESS have conducted traffic-related observational surveys on Detroit's lower east side. The purpose of the surveys was to observe the number of drivers that followed the law and stopped at the blinking red light before proceeding, and the number of drivers and front seat passengers who wore their safety belts.
  • After the survey, YESS wrote a letter to their local police department precinct to request that an officer be stationed near the blinking light on Connor. They also wrote a letter to the Detroit Public Works Traffic Engineering Division to address possible traffic engineering solutions, such as increasing signage near the blinking light to warn drivers to prepare to stop.
  • More recently, YESS conducted focus groups with younger children to learn why bike helmets were not being used regularly. The most common response was that
    wearing helmets was not cool." Using feedback they received from the focus groups, YESS members developed a mobile Safety Store. When youth are observed wearing their bike helmet, YESS or Parkside Safe Community Coalition members give them a "ticket" to purchase something in the Safety Store. Store items are donated by local businesses.
  • Members of YESS will be part of a large Detroit-wide Click It or Ticket campaign during May and June of 2003. In partnership with the Detroit Office of the Traffic Safety Association of Michigan, they will conduct safety belt observation studies throughout the city.
  • Friends of Parkside members are currently working with a court magistrate to ensure that traffic tickets are followed through. The magistrate mandates that offenders who receive traffic tickets in the Friends of Parkside area must do community service in the neighborhood.