Annual Report

2024 DRIVE SMART Virginia Annual Report

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles shows that 920 deaths occurred on Virginia’s roadways in 2024, a n increase of about 1% from the previous year. There are various causes for motor vehicle crashes and most of them are preventable. Distractions such as talking or texting on cell phones, reading, or reaching for an object are attributed to 80% of all crashes and 65% of all near-crashes recently studied by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. DRIVE SMART Virginia has been a pioneer in the fight against distracted driving. April of 2024 marked Virginia’s 18th annual Distracted Driving Awareness Month. DRIVE SMART reached out to employers, associations and the general public statewide to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving in an effort to reduce the number of crashes attributed to distracting behaviors.

DSV also hosted the 11th Annual Distracted Driving Summit on August 8-9 in Richmond Virginia. There were 275 in-person attendees and with 30 exhibits on site as well. Sessions related to vulnerable road users, corporate and community strategies, law enforcement, and research and technology were presented by expert speakers from across the country.

In addition to distractions, age can also play a factor in motor vehicle crashes. Young and inexperienced drivers are at a high risk of being involved in crashes. Sadly, 38 teen drivers died on Virginia’s roadways in 2024. DRIVE SMART Virginia has been traveling around Virginia with a distracted driving simulator and other hands-on educational activities for high school students. DRIVE SMART brought programming into 28 high schools across Virginia, reaching over 6,000 teens in 2024 with the interactive educational experience. New in 2024, DRIVE SMART partnered with the I-66 Express Mobility Partners to bring three engaging driver’s education assemblies to Fairfax and Prince William Counties with the ThinkFast Interactive program.

Another cause of car crashes involves pedestrians and bicyclists. In 2024, 151 (126 pedestrians, 25 bicyclists) people died walking or cycling on Virginia roadways. DRIVE SMART VIRGINIA continued our efforts to help improve understanding and create awareness of ways to reduce these roadway injuries and fatalities by holding an annual Bicycle and Pedestrian Awareness month in October to align with NHTSA’s pedestrian safety month. During this month, companies, organizations, and individuals were asked to use our online toolkit of social media posts, newsletter articles, email blasts, posters, and brochures in to spread the word about sharing the road with bicyclists and pedestrians with our See and Be Seen messaging and graphics.

One of the easiest ways to prevent injuries and fatalities involving a motor vehicle is using a seatbelt. Virginia DMV statistics show death rates are 8 times higher when an occupant is not buckled or restrained. DRIVE SMART is involved in the national Click It or Ticket mobilization, providing materials and outreach to Virginia’s drivers related to buckling up. Our “Love Clicks” message reminds drivers to buckle up for their loved ones. Virginia saw 322 unrestrained occupant fatalities in 2024 and one of the lowest usage rates in the country at 73.2%, according to 2023 observational surveys (2024 not yet released).

Another preventable and tragic cause of traffic crashes and fatalities is impaired driving. For the ninth year, DRIVE SMART Virginia brought the Who’s Your Driver program to Virginia racing fans. This program targets racing fans and asks them to pledge to have a designated driver if they are going to drink. Who’s Your Driver includes signage, social media, and digital programming.

In 2024, DRIVE SMART Virginia continued to deliver the What’s Your Gameplan program to sports fans. Similar to the Who’s Your Driver program, What’s Your Gameplan asks fans to have a sober driver and buckle up. The What’s Your Gameplan program partnered with Virginia Tech, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University football programs as well as The Richmond Flying Squirrels minor league baseball to deliver safety messaging. The program was delivered through digital means and game/stadium signage.

Protecting our first responders and roadside workers is of tremendous importance. As such, DRIVE SMART expanded our programing in 2024 to include a move over awareness campaign. This campaign included new digital graphics, a paid radio PSA campaign in northern Virginia, and five digital billboards in Richmond and Tidewater areas. The program also provided TIMS training manuals and support for several TIMS training workshops in Virginia in 2024.

Below is a snapshot of DRIVE SMART Virginia’s metrics for 2024 programming in Virginia:

  • Received over 800 orders and shipped 103,000 materials from our free online store – includes brochures, posters, yard signs, etc.
  • Saw over 27,000 website users, including over 2,200 downloads of toolkit resources.
  • Participated in 125 community and workplace events reaching over 100,000 people in-person.
  • Reached over 60,000 people through social media followers and had over 3 million impressions/views on social media channels.
  • Reached over 12 million sports fans with What’s Your GamePlan and Who’s Your Driver messaging.
  • Reached over 14,000 contacts through regular e-newsletters and communications.
  • Featured in almost 2 dozen media sources such as TV, newspapers, etc.

2023 Financial Snapshot (2024 not yet available):

Total Revenue: $1,183,471
Program Expenses: $1,109,163
Administrative Expenses: $47,275
Fundraising: $3,742
Total Expenses: $1,160,180
Ending net assets: $728,664