In 2017, the New York Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) received a grant from GHSA and the National Road Safety Foundation to tackle the issue of drowsy driving on the state's roadways. With this grant, GTSC partnered with Stony Brook University's School of Health Technology and Management to develop the Stop Drowsy Driving Initiative.
The initiative centered on the launch of the new StopDrowsyDriving.org, a website dedicated to providing resources and information on the dangers of drowsy driving. The website also includes a quiz to help drivers determine their susceptibility to drowsy driving, based on lifestyle, habits, and other contributing factors. To encourage visitors to take the quiz, those who completed it were made eligible to win a $50 gift card. In the first month after the website's public launch, 584 users participated in the assessment.
Additionally, GTSC and Stony Brook promoted the website through social media, creating Facebook and Twitter accounts for the initiative. Messages from these accounts reached more than 17,000 people over a four-week period. Information on the initiative was also shared with key influencers such as members of the legislature, police departments, and state and national organizations combating drowsy driving.
Ultimately, GTSC and Stony Brook's partnership resulted in resources that will continue to educate the public about the risks of drowsy driving and provide vital information about how to prevent this behavior.