Will County Gazette

Village of New Lenox Safe Communities America, Motor Vehicle/ Traffic Safety Task Group met Nov. 14.

Here are the minutes provided by the task group:

CALL TO ORDER

Dan Martin called the ZOOM meeting to order at 10:32am.

Dan Martin had emailed the task group members the Zoom meeting link, agenda and minutes from the previous meeting prior to this meeting.

IN ATTENDANCE

Dan Martin / Village of New Lenox, Margaret Pearson / Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, Jim Mihalovich / Top Driver; Rocky Dellamano / Rocky Dellamano COUNTRY Financial, Marisa Schreiber / New Lenox Fire Protection District, Jen Vujosevic / Lincoln- Way Community High School District 210, Gina Kenny / Ride Illinois, Carl Cicero / Metra, and Amy Kempa / HERO. ____

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The Minutes from the September 12, 2023 Task Group Meeting, which had been disseminated via email to Task Group members, were discussed. Gina Kenny made a motion to approve the minutes, and Dan Martin seconded the motion. After no further discussion, the motion carried and the minutes were approved.

OLD BUSINESS

2023 Senior Vehicle Inspections

The inspections were held at Lincoln-Way Central High School on both Tuesday, November 7th and Wednesday November 8th from 8:30-11:00am. Automotive Technology Instructor Tony Ogarek supervised the students inspecting the vehicles. A total of 56 inspections were conducted for the two days. Students found a few significant issues with some of the vehicles. Task group members Dan Martin, Rocky Dellamano and Joe Enzenberger attended both days. Margaret Pearson attended the first day and took photos for a newsletter and website. Rocky mentioned the group might adjust the timed appointments (now in 15-minute increments in three repair bays) to ensure there is enough time to complete the inspections. Seniors appreciated the vehicle inspections because many are wary of fraud at vehicle repair shops. The inspections will be done in the afternoon next year which coincides with the afternoon student busses. This will likely make these inspections more challenging.

“Teen Driver? What Every Parent Should Know”

The event was held via Zoom from 7:00-8:00pm November 1, 2023. 276 people registered via Eventbrite and about 145 attended. The group thanked Jen for promoting the program to parents. Dan had to upgrade his Zoom account to accommodate more than 100 persons. The consensus was that the Zoom went very well. Jim should be a speaker next year. He mentioned a new state law allowing driving schools to offer the driving test to students.

Driver Refresher / Rules of the Road Class for Seniors

The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office conducted a refresher driver course for seniors from 10:00am - 12:00pm on October 23, 2023 at New Lenox Village Hall. 30 seniors registered, and 25 attended. Margaret Pearson also attended, speaking briefly about organ/tissue donation. Jim may be able to offer a refresher cour too, when more staff is hired.

NEW BUSINESS

Bicycle Safety

Ride Illinois offers some safe bicycling safety courses that this task group may consider hosting. Some include: Bicycle-Friendly Driver, Bike Safety Tips for Kids (target 8–12-year-olds), Bike Safety For Parents, Bike Safety Tips for Older Adults and more. Information can be found at Ride Illinois Safety website at: https://rideillinois.org/safety/education. Gina mentioned some classes are in person, some via Zoom. She will give Dan the classes that Dan can promote via email. Liability insurance could be offered for in-person events. Task group members could supervise some of the booths like helmet safety and others if we did an in-person event. Scout troops might benefit from these classes to fulfill a bicycle safety course or badge. The New Lenox Metra lot might be a venue to hold an event.

Other Traffic Safety Educational Opportunities

Dan is open to suggestions for other traffic safety educational opportunities done via Zoom. Members are encouraged to look for opportunities.

GOOD OF THE ORDER / ORGANIZATION UPDATES

NEXT MEETING DATE

The next meeting of the Motor Vehicle / Traffic Safety Task Group will be Tuesday January 16, 2024 at 10:30 am via Zoom videoconference.

The next New Lenox Safe Community Coalition Meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2023 at 10:30am via Zoom videoconference.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 11:10am.

Motor Vehicle and Traffic Safety Task Group

“To establish collaborative partnerships with organizations that utilize education, engineering and enforcement efforts to reduce deaths and injuries related to motor vehicle crashes.”

https://www.newlenox.net/files/documents/SafeCommunitiesAmericaTaskGroupsMinutes11-14-23101506112823AM1352.pdf