Introduction and Overview
The High Five Rural Traffic Safety Seat Belt Program is a new demonstration program to Kentucky starting in 2022. It is funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and facilitated by the Preusser Research Group (PRG). The program will be funded for the 2023 Federal Fiscal Year (October 1,2022 through September 30,2023).
The inspirational program was created in Iowa. It specifically focused on improving seatbelt usage in rural areas. Each round, 5 counties were selected for the program.
For the demonstration program, the NHTSA and the PRG reached out to the states and have partnered with Arkansas and Kentucky.
Click here or scroll down the page to see what made Kentucky a good candidate.
The data is driving this approach to preventing injuries and fatalities.
- Fatality Rate per miles driven for Kentucky versus the Nation -
see the numbers
- Fatality Rate per miles driven is higher in Rural areas -
see the numbers
Iowa looked further into their numbers and specifically identified their secondary rural roadways as the locations to focus their efforts.
For the first year of the program, the NHTSA and the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) are coordinating with local partners in 5 counties:
- Bourbon County
- Grayson County
- Knott County
- Madison County
- Perry County