Distracted driving. School bus safety. Pedestrian awareness. All were part of The Onondaga County Traffic Safety Advisory Board’s annual “Share the Road Expo” Wednesday at Destiny USA. Police and experts from many agencies provided safety information, impaired driving simulators, and even a mini bike rodeo. Sergeant John Seeber at the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department says it’s about staying safe and educating people of all ages about traffic safety.
"We do educate our teens on how important it is to get to your destination safely, and how important it is to operate a vehicle in safe manner, and to be aware of other drivers and pedestrians."
Seeber says these events are important because they teach kids how dangerous the roadway is and to never run into the street.
"In the last couple weeks, we've had serious and fatal pedestrian accidents. A couple of them were pedestrian error where children darted into the road. We really try to educate young kinds on stopping, looking, and listening before entering the roadway."
The New York State Fair is around the corner and so is the heavy traffic that comes with it. New York State Police Sergeant Scott Kedenburg says they will not separate traffic, so commuters should take alternate routes if they want to avoid fair congestion.
"We won't differentiate or direct specific vehicles or individuals. We're going to have a lot of congestion and traffic moving through. We're going to try and keep traffic moving."
Kedenburg reminds everyone to be aware of their surroundings, listen to the Troopers directing traffic, and have fun at the fair. It starts Wednesday.
The expo also served as a recruitment tool for the New York State Police. Kedenburg says they're accepting applications for the exam, which is only offered every four years. The deadline to sign up is September 1st. More at NYTROOPER.com.
