Vision Zero is popping up at schools and events in the Minot region and across North Dakota with a message about the importance of driving safely.

Kyle Patterson, Vision Zero regional coordinator in Minot, spoke to the Ward County Commission Tuesday to present highlights from the northwestern regional office’s first year. Vision Zero has regional offices in the four quadrants of the state. They work in conjunction with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and North Dakota Association of Counties.

Patterson said Vision Zero will be partnering again in May with Broadway Bean & Bagel in Minot for discounts for wearing seatbelts through the drive-through. Vision Zero also has partnered with Y Men’s PBR, Minot State University Futurepalooza, Minotauros, KMOT Ag Expo and service clubs.

Vision Zero has worked with Nodak Speedway racing, Sabre Dogs baseball and local law enforcement to offer educational events during the summer, including giving the public hands-on experiences with simulation goggles and go-karts as part of an anti-drunk driving message. Patterson said the emphasis also has been on reducing distracted driving and encouraging buckling up.

Vision Zero representatives work with drivers education programs and have been bringing education into high schools, including offering a computer-simulated driving experience to mimic the effects of being impaired. Another program, Impact Teen Drivers, is being introduced to provide peer-to-peer, safe-driving messaging in schools and communities.

Patterson said youth ages 14 to 19 account for 5% of North Dakota’s licensed drivers and 20% of crashes. Over the past five years, 45 teens have died in crashes in North Dakota.

“Vision Zero Schools is another peer-to-peer program that gives students opportunity to be traffic safety advocates or leaders,” Patterson said. “Our goal right now is to get two schools in my region per year, and we are really focusing on that.”

Additionally, Patterson plans to obtain certification this spring for child passenger safety to provide car seat checkups in Vision Zero’s 15-county northwest region.

The goal of Vision Zero is to reach zero highway fatalities. Statistics show 100 fatalities on North Dakota roads in 2020 and 101 in 2021, with 10 fatalities so far in 2022, Patterson said. In Ward County, there were 620 crashes in 2020, resulting in eight fatalities. There were 725 crashes in 2021 and three fatalities.