By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

Working to help make Otter Tail County an even safer county is the goal of the Otter Tail County Safe Communities Coalition. Objectives were outlined to county commissioners on Sept. 24 by County Public Health Educator Emily Frustol.

“We continue to provide outreach in our communities throughout the county regarding traffic safety and working toward our overall mission to bring roadway fatalities down to zero,” she said.

The mission of the Safe Communities Coalition in Otter Tail County, in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, is to raise awareness of traffic safety issues and to develop tools that can be used to reduce the number of deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents.

  Members represent agencies including education, public health, engineering, law enforcement, public safety and emergency medical and trauma services. 

“This past year we partnered with class instructors for presentations in Underwood, Perham and Fergus Falls to share information about traffic accident prevention and thus no injuries and zero deaths,” Frustol said. “Topics, for all areas of Otter Tail County, include impaired driver outreach, prevention of distracted driving, seat belt usage and child restraint safety in vehicles.”

“Click It for Safety” includes two coffee shops in Otter Tail County where drive through customers receive $1 off their orders if they are wearing seat belts. Participating coffee shops are the Nest in Perham and Perk’s at the Fir and Washington locations in Fergus Falls.

All of the participants with the Safe Communities Coalition in Otter Tail County, including County Public Health, have a goal to change driving habits while ultimately protecting the lives of drivers, their families and others on the road.

Grants that provide funding for the program have come from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.