The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) today hosted a "town hall" meeting with panels, speakers, and survivors' testimonials all geared toward creating a new focus on the devastating effects of distracted driving. The event was held at the Community College of Rhode Island's Lincoln campus.
Titled "The Ripple Effect - the Road to Zero," the town hall built upon the two years of advertising and social media pieces of "The Ripple Effect," RIDOT's public awareness campaign to support the agency's goal of bringing the number of deaths due to drunk or distracted driving down to zero.
RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said, "Safety is our number one priority at RIDOT. As far as we are concerned, one death is too many. This town hall gives those who have felt the ripple effect the chance to talk about how to change our culture so that driving to endanger others becomes unacceptable."
Presenters included:
• Dr. Linda Orchowski, Brown University and Warren Alpert Medical School
• Matthew Collins, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island
• Peter Neronha, Attorney General for Rhode Island
• Tim White, WPRI-TV
• Mario Hilario, WJAR-TV
• James Manni, Colonel, Rhode Island State Police.
RIDOT has a ten-year highway safety plan which documents steps the RIDOT can take to bring the number of highway deaths in Rhode Island to zero.