This webinar will focus on how local coalitions and law enforcement can collaborate to prevent teen traffic crashes. Experts from across Illinois will discuss evidence-based alcohol prevention strategies along with strategies to enhance safe teen driving.
Speakers:
Deputy John Shallenberger, Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office
John Shallenberger, Deputy Sheriff with Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, has been in law enforcement for 25 years. John was assigned to the Patrol Division, in 2006 was chosen for a position he still holds within the Crime Prevention Unit. The duties for this unit include Certified DARE instructor, Certified Child Passenger Technician, Certified A.L.I.C.E. instructor, Certified Illinois Juvenile Officer, and Certified Elderly Service Officer.
During 2005-2006, Tazewell County lost 15 teens to car crashes within a 15-month period. In response, the community formed the Tazewell Teen Initiative to address the issue. John is an original member of the Initiative and is currently the Chairman. One of the components the Initiative developed was a learning opportunity for teen drivers including the Ford Driving Skills for Life program. IDOT and Ford also developed the Operation Teen Safe Driving (OTSD) program in Tazewell County during this time. In an effort to promote safe driving habits among a traditionally high-risk age group, the program was implemented in all Tazewell County high schools as a peer-to-peer safe driving initiative. In 2008, OTSD expanded statewide and all 900 Illinois High Schools were invited to apply for the program and 225 submitted applications. A panel of judges, including John, selected 105 of those schools to receive financial assistance to develop programs emphasizing seat belt use, distracted driving, impaired driving and speeding. In 2014, John became an Instructor with Ford’s Driving Skills for Life program and continues to educate teens nationwide about the dangers of impaired driving. John continues educating teens in Tazewell, Woodford and Peoria counties using a program developed through the Tazewell Teen Initiative.
Shannon Alderman, Impaired Driving Program Coordinator, Illinois Department of Transportation
Shannon Alderman is the Impaired Driving Program Coordinator at IDOT’s Bureau of Safety Programs & Engineering and has a broad range of experience in strategic communications and marketing, performance-driven planning, and the planning and implementation of comprehensive, statewide programs aimed at reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities on roadways. For over 25 years, he has worked on highway safety issues in both the public and private sectors while working at the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the physician-based, national highway safety advocacy group, End Needless Death on Our Roadways (END). During this time, he has had the privilege of working on and overseeing several ground-breaking Illinois traffic safety initiatives including the zero-tolerance law, graduated driver licensing, the reduction of the BAC limit to .08, passage of the primary seat belt law, and the establishment of Illinois’ Click It or Ticket program.
As Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety, Alderman oversaw a staff of over 200 people and an operating budget of $65 million with responsibilities that included fiscal operations, human resources, the collection of Illinois motor vehicle crash reports, and the planning and administration of Illinois’ Highway Safety Program. During his tenure in this position, he had the opportunity to initiate and implement many programs such as Illinois Click It or Ticket program combining strong seat belt law enforcement and PR efforts and a new Illinois Crash Information System.
Over 12 years ago, Shannon worked to integrate strong DUI law enforcement with late-night, seat belt law enforcement, making Illinois one of the first states to conduct such a program. This program joined together not only enforcement but also the Click It or Ticket and You Drink and Drive, You Lose messages to directly counter the state’s two largest highway safety issues.
More recently, he has worked hard to strengthen Illinois’ Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Program encouraging the use of search warrants in DUI cases and starting a program to train law enforcement officers as phlebotomists. In addition, he has utilized federal highway safety funds to help revive Illinois’ Drug Evaluation & Classification Program that has more than doubled the number of Drug Recognition Experts in the state over the last two years.
DeAnna Sherman, Executive Director, True Star Media