A partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office and the people of Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas has garnered national recognition.

The Energize for Safety Coalition fostered a collaborative effort to create the State Highway 33 Safety Corridor between Kingfisher and Watonga, which resulted in a significant reduction in collisions along the busy roadway.

That effort, which also included Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local law enforcement, won the Best Use of Technology & Innovation Award for the western region at the America’s Transportation Awards, hosted by American State Highway Transportation Officials (ASHTO).

“Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas industry is committed to keeping the communities where they live and work safe,” said Energize for Safety President and Founder Tom Robins. “All stakeholders in this group played an essential role in making SH-33 safer for all.”

ODOT’s engineers assessed the stretch of highway and implemented the safety corridor along with an awareness campaign by the coalition to get drivers to pay attention and slow down.

“The 46 percent reduction in collisions shown within the first year of implementation speaks volumes about the need for increased motorist awareness in areas where traffic patterns have changed rapidly,” said ODOT Chief Engineer Brian Taylor.

The Energize for Safety Coalition is funded by a grant from the people of Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas through the OERB.