Transportation Safety Division’s Distracted Driving Program Will Be Featured at this Major Motorsports Event
PORTLAND, Ore. (August 14, 2019) – The Transportation Safety Division (TSD) of Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has partnered, for the first time ever, with the Grand Prix of Portland, kicking off the Labor Day weekend, August 30-September 1, at Portland International Raceway (PIR).
Marking the second year of the annual motorsports event, TSD’s Distracted Driving Program will be highlighted for all three days of the Grand Prix. The program’s messaging will be featured prominently across the PIR venue, including on-site branding, an exciting opportunity to experience the state’s Distracted Driving crash vehicle, as well as digital reminders to help everyone get home safely.
“ODOT’s Transportation Safety Division has an important message for all drivers to ‘Park Your Phone’ while driving,” said Jerry Jensen, general manager of the Grand Prix of Portland. “It takes the race car drivers’ full attention on the task at hand to go fast and win at the Grand Prix of Portland. We ask that our race fans do the same when commuting to and from this great event in a couple of weeks.”
From running local PSAs, to billboards and geofencing, ODOT’s Transportation Safety Division touches the lives of Oregonians on the go. One of the most important safety measures for the 2019 program is bringing more awareness and education to the issues of distracted driving (i.e., using your phone or other electronic devices while driving). Distracted driving is a dangerous behavior for drivers, passengers, and non-occupants alike. Distraction is a specific type of inattention that occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving task to focus on some other activity instead (per NHTSA).
“The Transportation Safety Division is so happy to be able to have this incredible partnership opportunity with the Grand Prix of Portland,” states Kelly Kapri, Program Manager for ODOT’s Distracted Driving Program. “We’re able to have such a unique reach across the event, reminding people that distracted driving is not only dangerous, but also against the law. We’re grateful to the organizers for helping TSD in our efforts to change cultural norms around distracted driving as part of our overall plan to reach all Oregonians.”
As an official event partner, TSD will provide on-site fan engagement opportunities including the Distracted Driving Awareness Mobile Trailer, an educational and conversation-starting display about the very real consequences of distracted driving. The program is supported by the digital and social media messages, video signage on the racetrack, ticketing logos, event map branding and more throughout the venue.
ABOUT ODOT/TSD
ODOT provides a safe and reliable multimodal transportation system that connects people and helps Oregon’s communities and economy thrive.
For more information, visit: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Safety/Pages/Distracted.aspx or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
ABOUT GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is the home of the Grand Prix of Portland. PIR is a 1.964-mile, 12-turn permanent road course owned by the City of Portland and operated under the Portland Parks and Recreation. Opened in 1960 to host sports car and drag racing, the 268-acre property hosts over 550 events annually including automotive and motorcycle road racing, motocross, cruise-ins and other special events including the Rose Cup Races. PIR has been the site of many memorable Indy car races. Al Unser Jr. won the inaugural one in 1984, and the NTT IndyCar Series returned in 2018 after an 11-year absence with Takuma Sato the winner. The Father’s Day race of 1986 featured Mario Andretti victorious over his son Michael on the last lap by less than a second. The closest three-way road racing finish in Indy car history took place at PIR in 1997 when the top three were covered by just 0.055 of a second. The Grand Prix of Portland is owned and operated by Green Savoree Racing Promotions, which also promotes three additional IndyCar races, Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 8-10, 2019), Honda Indy Toronto (July 12-14, 2019) and The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (July 26-28, 2019).
The Grand Prix of Portland is a tremendous family value. Children 12 and under receive free general admission to the event and free admission to the NTT IndyCar Series paddock throughout the weekend when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Visit portlandgp.com for ticket information.
For more information, visit portlandgp.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @PortlandGP or follow updates on Twitter @Portland_GP and Instagram at @Portland_GP using #PortlandGP.
Media Inquiries:
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