ITD communication, safety efforts
again recognized by national peers

For the second straight year, a pair of communication efforts by the Idaho Transportation Department were among the nation’s best, as recognized by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) at their recent annual gathering in Baltimore, Maryland.

More than 170 communication professionals and nearly 40 states were represented at the conference.

The awards were presented last night (Tuesday, Sept. 15) in the “Skills Contest” portion of TransComm 2015, where AASHTO’s Subcommittee on Transportation Communications honored outstanding communication work from departments of transportation across the country. AASHTO is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

ITD garnered first place for the bylined article “Ice Bath: Graves’ River Rescue,” detailing a river rescue spearheaded by ITD employee Dana Graves of a couple who had driven into the frigid Lochsa River during low visibility and slick-road conditions last November.

The department’s second award, an Honorable Mention effort in the Advertising category, for the in-house St. Patrick’s Day DUI video “Lucky Leprechaun.” Only two winners are announced in each category, so this is essentially the runner-up award. The video aims to combat impaired driving, which accounted for nearly 1,400 crashes in 2014 and more than 70 deaths on Idaho roads — 39 percent of highway fatalities. In addition to the incalculable cost to the families, there was also a societal economic cost of approximately $606 million in Idaho that year.

Deemed the premier communications competition in the transportation industry, the annual Skills Contest recognizes state DOTs that represent a high standard of public-relations excellence.


Published 09-18-15