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OSSINING, N.Y. Going two years without a pedestrian fatality would be enough for the Village of Ossining to receive recognition for its traffic safety, but the Ossining Police Department went above and beyond to be one of 24 communities in the state to receive a special award from AAA.
The Village of Ossining won a Gold Award this month in AAA New Yorks Community Traffic Safety Awards Program for its many traffic safety efforts, including (its) Aggressive Driving and STOP-DWI programs, AAA representatives said this week in a statement. In addition, village officials received a Pedestrian Safety Citation for not recording a pedestrian fatality for two years. The village joined several other communities from Westchester County in receiving gold awards. White Plains was one of four communities to receive a platinum award.
Im happy we got the award, but Im much happier about the lack of traffic deaths, Village of Ossining Mayor William Hanauer said. It was more than luck that led to the gold award, he said. Its a combination of things, but its mostly vigilance. We have a very dedicated police force, and I think this award is another example of that.
Although the Pedestrain Safety Citation is largely about having fewer incidents, the Gold Award is given to communities that take special steps to improve traffic safety, said Donna Galasso, AAA assistant director of traffic safety.
The gold award is given to communities that implement programs that demonstrate a superior effort at addressing local traffic safety issues, Galasso said. Its not only about keeping numbers down, but its about taking active steps. With Ossining, they do have some good programs out there, and they are going beyond what is usually done.
The village received the award during a luncheon Oct. 3. About 60 awards were given out, but Ossining was one of only a dozen to receive multiple awards.
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