Traffic Safety Honor Roll and Recognition Award Recipients Announced

Posted: Dec 20, 2004

Printer-friendly version | bookmark this page | discuss this article in the forums |

An awards presentation was held at the North Dakota Conference on Injury Prevention and Traffic Safety in Bismarck. This event was sponsored by: North Dakota Department of Health, Injury Prevention & Emergency Medical Services for Children Programs, North Dakota Department of Transportation, and the Drivers License & Traffic Safety Division. The work of these individuals has been instrumental in addressing emerging issues in the traffic safety field.

Left to right: Sandy Wilson, Carol Thurn, Dawn Olson, Becky Byzewski, Carol Meidinger, Michael Jay, Colonel Bryan Klipfel, and Marsha Lembke

SPECIAL SERVICE AND WHOSE EFFORTS

Traffic Safety Honor Roll Awards were presented to the following recipients:

Carol Meidinger is the Injury Prevention Program Director with the North Dakota Department of Health. The approach that Carol uses in child passenger safety is very energetic, comprehensive, and effective for the children of North Dakota.

She has been extremely instrumental in the occupant protection arena. In 1999, she was instrumental in working with the ND Legislature to strengthen the states' child passenger safety law. Carol works very closely with the child Passenger Safety program. She uses a two-pronged approach to increasing the use of child restraints and safety belts by North Dakota children.

Carol is a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor; she has been working with child passenger safety issues since 1979. Her dedication to the safety of the children of North Dakota is evident in her unending willingness to provide assistance to the different public entities and the citizens of North Dakota. Carol always goes that extra mile to make sure that parents understand about the importance of buckling up their children. She has been observed helping parents find the correct car seat for their child while she was shopping for herself. She is always checking the different stores for new car seats that are coming on the market. Carol's dedication has helped the state of North Dakota greatly. She continues to support occupant protection and help to prevent injuries to our children

Michael Jay is the Director for ABATE of North Dakota and is the NDMSP Program Administrator. Michael Jay is instrumental in the continuing success of the motorcycle safety program. Michael works with the Board of Directors of ABATE of North Dakota to plan fund raisers that are intended to benefit the NDMSP, whether it is for promotional or monitory gain.

Michael spends a great deal of time traveling the state promoting NDMSP.
His passion for the safety of motorcycle riders is evident in his interviews. The radio and television stations are very familiar with Michael and his passion for the NDMSP program that they call him by is nickname.

Michael's passion for safety shows in other areas as he has volunteered countless hours to programs such as the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce, Bismarck-Mandan Safety Council and Capitol City Coalition for a Safe Community. He truly cares about the citizens of North Dakota. Michael sets up a booth display showcasing the NDMSP program throughout the year at different conventions in North Dakota.

Recognition Awards were presented to the following recipients:

A Safe Communities Recognition award was presented to the Southwest Coalition of Safe Communities. This coalition serving the eight southwest counties in North Dakota is an example of a very successful rural coalition. The Coalition has initiated community programs that have successfully addressed the issue of underage alcohol consumption, increased the use and reduced the misuse of child safety seats, and increased the safety belt use rate throughout the eight counties it serves. This Safe Communities Coalition has been extremely successful in acquiring data, then accurately analyzing the data to establish projects geared toward their problem areas. The Southwest Coalition of Safe Communities is a shining example of what can be done when a group of dedicated individuals work together to improve the quality of life in a community and region.

The efforts of the Becky Byzewski, the Southwest Coalition of Safe Communities Coordinator and the coalition are a dramatic testament of how a group of volunteers can make a difference in a community.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol received a Law Enforcement Recognition award, present to accept the award was Colonel Bryan Klipfel. The NDHP has been an integral part of the Traffic Safety Offices' statewide effort to increase seatbelt usage and deter impaired driving. This past fiscal year (October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004), the Highway Patrol has conducted over 20 sobriety checkpoints and worked over 1,500 hours in overtime conducting impaired driving saturation patrols. In addition, the Highway Patrol has also performed over 2,300 hours in overtime participating in the statewide seat belt blitz campaigns. These enforcement efforts along with their public information and education campaigns are a vital part of increasing public awareness on traffic safety issues.

This past year the Patrol also took part in the DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) training that was recently held in Fargo. They now have officers who are trained to conduct drugged driving evaluations and are able to offer their knowledge and resources to other agencies.

In addition to all that they do the Patrol also assists local law enforcement agencies who are implementing new enforcement strategies within their communities. The Patrol is viewed as a mentor and their expertise and professionalism are highly regarded by all.

Congratulations to all of you on a job well done! We are all learning and improving together. Thank you for your commitment to traffic safety.