SAFE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM STRESSES OUNCE OF PREVENTION

The biggest part of safety is eliminating or preventing dangerous situations. That is the thrust of a longstanding effort in Cape Girardeau known as the Community Traffic Safety Program. Now the program has been expanded to include other safety concerns, and it has a new name: Safe Communities Program.

Cape Girardeau's Safe Communities Program is the first in Missouri. More than a dozen efforts make up the overall Safe Communities Program, all aimed at increasing public awareness about safety issues. One part of the program is the gathering of local information about safety-related problems. With that data in hand, the local program identifies ways to avoid those problems.

Among the programs that fall under the Safe Communities Program umbrella are the Safety Village, Bicycle Safety Workshop, Mock DWI Trial, Team Spirit Training, Traffic Offenders Program, Baby Shower for Safety and Safety Belt Checkpoint.

Traffic-related accidents are still the No. 1 cause of injuries and deaths, so much of the effort is geared toward the safe use of vehicles.

Since 1987 there has been some sort of organized program to address safety issues in Cape Girardeau. With the Safe Communities Program, that tradition of effort to improve safety has been broadened and strengthened. This community is a safer place to live and work, thanks to good coordination and an ongoing program to promote safety.