Community Outreach

Community outreach offers a variety of educational services to the local community. Members of the Highway Safety Office are available for in-person or virtual presentations on a multitude of topics.

The community outreach section of the Maryland Highway Safety Office is comprised of regional Community Engagement Managers. Each Community Engagement Manager has a region where they serve as a liaison between MHSO, its partners, regional grantees, and local communities.

Community Engagement Managers work with partners and grantees to develop outreach programs that support Maryland’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Hands-on demonstrations, educational interactive tools, and simulators are part of the outreach team’s support for local safety events.

Local Strategic Highway Safety Plans

Local Strategic Highway Safety Plans (LSHSP) and Vision Zero Plans (VZ), can be developed in coordination with the Maryland Highway Safety Office. Local jurisdictions are encouraged to develop their own SHSP that takes on the principles and overall goals of the Maryland SHSP while addressing specific concerns in their jurisdictions. Community Engagement Managers offer support and resources to local jurisdictions that are interested in creating their own plans.

Learn more about Local Strategic Highway Safety Plans.

View Local SHSPs

Available Resources

Cruz The Traffic Safety Car

Cruz is a comprehensive safety tool for children in Grades PreK-2. Cruz is a three-foot-tall, remote-controlled, talking robotic car available to talk to your school or organization about pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and seat belt safety

Learn More About Cruz

CarFit

CarFit is an educational program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles "fit" them. The CarFit program also provides information and materials on community-specific resources that could enhance their safety as drivers, and/or increase their mobility in the community.

Request CarFit

Educational Materials

Hardcopies of educational materials (brochures, flyers, etc.), subject to availability, are available for distribution. Digital versions of handouts can be found in the digital resource center.

Request Handouts

Fatal Vision® Goggles

The goggles offer participants of education programs the ability to experience the simulated effects of alcohol intoxication or drowsy/distraction and how it impairs a person’s vision, reaction time, judgment, and balance.

Learn More About the Fatal Vision® Drowsy and Distracted Goggles Learn More About the Fatal Vision® Impairment Goggles Request the Fatal Vision® Simulation Goggles

Presentations

Community Engagement Managers are available to present (virtually and in-person) to organizations, community groups, and schools about highway safety emphasis areas - including speed and aggressive driving, impaired driving, distracted driving, occupant protection, proper seat belt, and car seat use, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and older and young driver safety.

Request a Presentation

Rollover Simulator

A modified pick-up truck has been designed to simulate a vehicle involved in a rollover crash. Crash dummies are placed in a pickup truck with and without seat belts and a rollover crash is simulated.

See the Rollover in action Request the Rollover Simulator

Safety Events

Community Engagement Managers are available to attend community and school events and provide information to attendees about highway safety emphasis areas - including speed and aggressive driving, impaired driving prevention, distracted driving, occupant protection, proper seat belt, and car seat use, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and older and young driver safety.

Request Event Presence

Spin Art Bike

Take a ride on our spin art bike and create a unique piece of art while talking about bicycle safety with our team!

Request the Spin Art Bike

Social Media Toolkits

Emphasis area-specific and monthly social media toolkits that include multiple emphasis areas are available for distribution and public use. The toolkits include suggested copy and images.

See all toolkits

Table Top Simulator

One Simple Decision® allows students to experience first-hand the dangers and consequences of distracted and impaired driving through interactions with law enforcement officers, judges, ER personnel, and doctors. The program consists of simulation drives, first-person consequence videos, interactive quizzes, and advice from experts known as the Reality Check videos.

Learn More About the Table Top Simulator