23-043 Sheriff’s Office Will Highlight Targeted Response Against Distracted Driving (TRADD) Program During Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office

Patrol Operations Bureau
-Youth Education Section
Support Services Bureau
-Grants Administration

Program developed in partnership with:
COPART – Crash Vehicle Donation
Pinellas County Public Works – Transportation – Traffic Props
Florida SADD – Pinellas High School Chapters – Student Advocates

PINELLAS COUNTY – The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office will highlight the Targeted Response Against Distracted Driving (TRADD) program for the eighth year to help bring awareness during April, which is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The event will take place today, April 5^th, and tomorrow, April 6^th, from 07:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at Palm Harbor University High School located at 1900 Omaha Street in Palm Harbor.

This event is not open to the general public and is exclusively for current students at Palm Harbor University High School.

TRADD was created and designed to bring awareness to distracted driving with secondary awareness of distractions to bicyclists and pedestrians in general. This is an ongoing program offered throughout the school year to high school students county-wide. The program engages students via a presentation/video, PSA, and practical exercises. TRADD was developed in partnership with the State Farm Youth Advisory Board.

The target audience is teen drivers 15 years of age and up.

The program has two components:

Part 1: The Presentation: This includes a video presentation, PSA, a uniformed deputy presentation, and various props to accomplish this component.

Part 2: The Practical Exercise: This allows students to experience the impact of distractions on drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. There are three exercises:

• Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) Exercise - A licensed student must navigate a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) through a course while facing multiple distractions such as texting, a radio playing, and objects such as balls and pedestrians appearing in the roadway.
• Pedal Carts with Impairment Goggles Exercise – Students will be tasked with navigating pedal carts through a course as they wear goggles simulating various levels of impairment such as intoxication, drowsiness, and “buzzed” driving. This exercise shows the effects of being distracted by fatigue or substance abuse and the operator’s slowed response when distracted.
• Straight Line Walk and Turn Exercise – Students will take turns walking a straight line and turning while being asked to respond to questions aloud.  This exercise demonstrates the difficulty created when pedestrians are distracted while simultaneously completing a physical task and a mental task.

It is the Sheriff’s Office’s goal that the program will encourage students to think twice before letting anything come between them and their destination and remind students of the slogan: "Just drive, the rest can wait."

Media is invited to cover the program and participate in the exercises.

For additional questions or information, please contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Public Information Office at 727-582-6221, or Deputy Dave Brenn at dbrenn@pcsonet.com