Street traffic academy to expand statewide, making roads safer for everyone
Hundreds of Hoosiers die each year in traffic collisions and thousands more are seriously injured. Numbers have fallen slightly but Indiana traffic safety groups are working to bring that number down even further statewide.
According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, traffic fatalities decreased to 894 in 2023 compared to 985 fatalities in 2022. Another 4,232 Hoosiers were seriously injured in traffic crashes in 2023 while 5443 were seriously injured in traffic crashes in 2022.
Indianapolis-based nonprofit Health by Design is partnering with the Institute to expand its Indiana Road to Zero Academy, aiming to reduce serious traffic crashes and fatalities across the state.
Solutions include tactical urbanism, which uses street murals, separators and pedestrian-only lanes to slow down traffic and accommodate bikes, wheelchairs and strollers.
'Streets need to be rebuilt every year,' said Andrea Watts, Health by Design's communications and policy manager. 'We want to rebuild them right, but not just car orientated infrastructure — safe streets for everyone.'
Launched in 2022 with funding from the National Safety Council and Road to Zero Coalition, the academy initially offered virtual training over several weeks, spreading awareness and knowledge to various stakeholders working to improve Indiana's roadway. Now backed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Traffic Safety Improvement Program, the program is shifting gears.
The Indiana Road to Zero Academy plans to offer two in-person regional training workshops — one in northern Indiana and one in southern Indiana — in mid- or late September. These hands-on sessions will teach the safe system approach: safe roads, safe speeds, and safe road users. It is designed for municipal staff, planners, engineers, safety advocates, and residents.
'Northern and southern Indiana were hungry to get this rolling,' Watts said.
The expanded academy also introduces a statewide Vision Zero Working Group, building on the Indianapolis Vision Zero Ordinance adopted in August 2024. Vision Zero prioritizes eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries through smarter road designs that ensure safe travel for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.
Health by Design will provide customized crash analysis and technical assistance to high-risk areas, partnering with data experts and EMS records to track fatal crashes and identify solutions.
The group has also teamed up with the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Department of Health to improve community safety. One of their initiatives, the Safe Routes to School program, is open to all Indiana schools — regardless of federal funding — and encourages more students to walk or bike safely to class.
Through this program, the organization supports schools through grants such as one for bike helmets. Most recently, they supported Fort Wayne students participating in Bike-to-School Day, Watts said.
Despite challenges from recent federal funding cuts and changes, the organization remains committed to enhancing traffic safety. Proposed federal funding cuts on green infrastructure attacks a lot of the work the nonprofit does, Watts said. Following threats to federal funding, state partnerships are becoming even more important.
'It has impacted us and we had to get more creative,' Watts said. 'There's an attack on a lot of the work we do and it feels like a step backward or we are stuck in time.'
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(Here's more info on whether you should try electrolyte packets.) What's more, Nelson adds, many of these drinks and supplements contain a ton of sugar, an ingredient that can actually hurt your hydration mission. 8. You rely too heavily on sugary drinks… 'While all types of drinks will supply fluid, we want to be mindful of what types of beverages we're relying on to stay hydrated,' Levi says. Not all are created equal: Sugary types—think sodas, coffees made with sweet syrups, and many fruit juices, according to Levi—'may taste refreshing, but they don't hydrate as efficiently as water,' Dr. Morgan says. They can even have a dehydrating effect, since the sugar molecules pull water out of your body and into your blood. What's more, sugary beverages can also have other health downsides. They can hurt your energy levels by causing the infamous 'sugar crash,' Dr. Morgan adds. (To compound the problem, dehydration itself can also make you feel sluggish, so you could be in for a potential double whammy of fatigue.) And routinely overloading on sugar can also raise your risk of metabolic disease in the long term, according to Levi. Instead, use water as your go-to beverage (and if the plain stuff doesn't appeal, keep on reading). 9. …or those heavy on caffeine or carbonation. In addition to sugary beverages, you'll also want to limit carbonated and caffeinated ones, according to Nelson. 'Carbonation will make you feel full so you feel like you've drunk more fluid than you actually have,' limiting your intake and making it tough to stay adequately hydrated,' she says. The bubbles are also associated with GI issues like bloating and gas as well as dental wear and tear, according to Levi. Meanwhile, caffeine can cause you to pee and poop more, accelerating fluid loss and promoting dehydration. It can also trigger side effects like nausea, shakiness, anxiety, and poor sleep, as anyone who's ever overindulged knows all too well. Cap your caffeine intake at 400 milligrams or less per day (around two to three 12-fluid-ounce cups, max), Levi recommends. 10. Or, on the flip side, you force yourself to stick entirely to fluids you just don't enjoy. The blandness of water can be a big turnoff. Many folks simply don't drink it often because, well, they don't like the taste compared to the more flavorful beverages out there—so if tweaking the taste will help, do it! If making that change means you'll drink more, 'that's a real benefit,' Nelson says. To impart a light boost, try adding fruit or vegetable infusions, according to Nelson. Per Levi, you can do this by squeezing in some fresh lime or lemon juice, popping in some frozen berries, or adding fresh mint or basil leaves. This way, your H2O will be a bit more palatable (and thus easier for you to swallow, literally), but it'll still provide all the same hydration benefits. (And a hint for active people seeking more punch in their post-workout beverage: Chocolate milk makes 'a pretty good recovery drink,' Nelson says.) 11. You don't adjust your fluid intake, like, ever. Your hydration needs aren't fixed; they can fluctuate depending on your situation. Like we mentioned earlier, 'you need more fluids when you're active or it's hot out,' Dr. Morgan says, but other risk factors can also boost your hydration needs, like illness. In the event of fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, 'we're going to lose a lot of those fluids, so then we have to replenish them,' Nelson says. Other potential dehydration risk factors include alcohol and some medications, like laxatives, diuretics, and oral meds for type 2 diabetes. 12. And finally, you assume that more is always better. It's a classic case of too much of a good thing: 'Drinking enough water is essential for steady energy levels and healthy digestion,' but at the same time, it is possible to do it to excess—and even to the point of endangering your health, Levi says. Downing a ton over one to two hours can pose hazards like water intoxication, a.k.a. hyponatremia, the medical term for dangerously low sodium levels in the blood. 'Hyponatremia can cause nausea, vomiting, weakness and, in extreme cases, seizures or comas,' Levi says. To be clear, however, these kinds of severe side effects are rare: 'You'd likely have to chug a full gallon of water in an hour to be at risk,' she adds. (A more common occurrence? Like we mentioned above, you pound so much at once that your body can't actually absorb it efficiently.) So what are the signs that you've been a little overzealous in your hydration mission? Clear pee, for one. Just as you can gauge whether you're dehydrated by the color of your urine—remember, dark yellow indicates you need to drink more—so it can also tell you whether you're overhydrated. When your, ahem, output has no hue, it's a sign that you've gone overboard. Related: The Best Way to Treat Dry Mouth, No Matter the Cause How to Cool Down Fast When You're Hot, Cranky, and Just Can't Stop Sweating The Best Hydration Products To Help You Drink More Water Get more of SELF's great service journalism delivered right to your inbox. Originally Appeared on Self
