HSRC News Briefs

NCSRTS Progress Report

The National Center for Safe Routes to School has completed a three-year progress report mapping the growth of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) throughout the nation. The report includes case studies and updates on current state and national initiatives in support of communities building SRTS programs. Highlights of the report include:

• All 50 States plus the District of Columbia have Safe Routes to School Coordinators.
• $370.6 million in Federal funds have been awarded by State Departments of Transportation as of January 1, 2009.
• State DOTs have awarded 89 percent of the $416 million available to States.
• More than 4,566 funded schools throughout the U.S. have been awarded funds.
• 47 States contribute information to the SRTS national database.

To access the report, please go to www.saferoutesinfo.org/report.

Watch the 2009 Waller Lecture

Dr. Robert B. Cialdini, Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, presented the 2009 Patricia F. Waller Lecture on Wednesday, April 15.

The talk, "The Power of Social versus Financial Factors in Behavior Change," focused on how persuasive communications that employ social norms-based appeals for pro-environmental behavior are superior to those that employ traditional appeals. His books including, Influence: Science & Practice, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, and Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive are the results of his study into the reasons why people comply with requests in business settings.

Dr. Cialdini received his Ph.D from the University of North Carolina and post doctoral training from Columbia University, with many visiting scholar appointments at top U.S. Universities. Currently, Dr. Cialdini holds dual appointments at Arizona State University as a W.P. Carey Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Regents' Professor of Psychology.

The lecture is held annually in memory of Dr. Patricia F. Waller, a UNC professor who founded the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and was a pioneer in injury control. She worked for nearly two decades as a researcher at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, where she developed the concept for graduated licensing that would become adopted nationwide.

The Waller lecture is sponsored jointly by the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, the UNC Highway Safety Research Center and the UNC department of psychology, based in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Watch the Lecture

HSRC in the News

The following is a highlight of recent media stories that include information and research from the Center. Web links to the following news stories are time sensitive, so some stories might not be accessible after the initial publication date without required registration.

Texting: a fight to be free
News & Observer
April 26, 2009

Bill would require tougher standards for older drivers
News & Observer
April 8, 2009

Cold or not, monthly walking group 'back in step'
Asheville Citizen Times
February 19, 2009

Report: Traffic Deaths Down in NC, But Up in Wake County
WRAL-TV
February 5, 2009

Stepped up patrol efforts help save lives
USA Today
February 5, 2009

AAA Targets cell phone use in graphic ads
Greensboro News & Record
February 1, 2009