Many traffic safety messages and strategies are designed by people from urban areas. We need to think about how these messages and strategies should be translated for rural communities. We need to come up with culturally-appropriate strategies and messages rather than just assume those provided by outside sources will be effective.

For example, people in rural areas buckle up less than those in urban communities. There are a number of reasons for this. Many people in rural areas drive pick-up trucks. People buckle up less often in larger vehicles. Drivers can get a false perception of safety when driving on a two-lane road in which they can see for miles in every direction.

But this is also a function of rural culture. People in rural areas have a strong sense of self-reliance. They think they can take care of themselves. They tend to place a high value on personal freedom. Legislation that mandates behavior can be seen as a threat. Thus, strong safety belt legislation has not been as well received in rural areas as in suburban and urban areas.

We need to identify the cultural values of a community and develop messages that support those values. Rural women tend to be the family caretakers. They decide when a child is too sick to go to school or when a family member should see a physician. We target these women with messages that support the values of self-reliance and caregiving. Instead of saying, "The law says you have to buckle up your children," we would say "Buckling up our children is how we take care of them."

Some strategies used in urban and suburban areas can be very challenging to implement in rural areas. For example, .08 [Blood Alcohol Content] is a very abstract concept, and rural people tend to be concrete thinkers. How do you describe .08 BAC so that people know what you are talking about? Once, we set up a demonstration exercise during the legislative session using a hospitality suite to show people how much they need to drink to go above the limit. Most people haven’t had the opportunity to be tested after they’ve had a few drinks. Safe Communities programs can provide that opportunity.

There are advantages to working in a rural area. In a rural community, everybody knows everybody else. In urban areas, you may have to think hard to identify the right people for your coalition. In a rural area, you probably already know who they are. To expand your partnerships, you need only ask those key people to join. I can call the chief of police in every police department in my area and get that person on the telephone. I know all the local reporters personally. If I had to get a message out in Denver, I’d wonder who to call to reach so many people. In rural areas, everyone reads the same paper and watches the same local TV station. If I want to get information in the paper, I make a telephone call or stop down at the office. The Safe Communities program in Casper is on TV regularly because they have news, and the one TV station there wants news. Getting the word out in these situations is actually very simple.

Another advantage in rural areas is the sense that the people dying and being injured in traffic crashes are real people, not merely statistics. There is a commitment to trying to make a difference. These are tragedies that we need to stop, because our neighbors, our friends, and our family members are the ones being injured or killed.