Utah Department of Transportation
Driving Personal Change Through Community Outreach
Challenge
The top five behaviors killing people on Utah’s roads are driving distracted, impaired, drowsy, aggressive, and unbuckled. Traffic fatalities are a leading cause of death in the U.S., and Utah is not immune to the consequences of dangerous decisions behind the wheel. Crash statistics and public opinion research show a concerning gap between how Utahns value traffic safety and their actual behaviors.
Solution
For over 18 years, Penna Powers has partnered with UDOT and the Utah Department of Public Safety to prevent these senseless tragedies through the Zero Fatalities outreach program. We connect directly with the community through events, interactive presentations, and face-to-face engagement with K-12 students, parents, and employees, working alongside schools, businesses, health departments, law enforcement, the state board of education, and other local leaders to influence decisions and change behaviors that promote safer driving practices. Our approach is localized and data-driven, using influencer insights, strategic targeting, and outcomes-based performance measurement to make sure our efforts translate into real behavior change on a personal, human level.
Parent Night
Since the days of COVID, presentations have continued to grow and are up to 544 presentations in the 2025-2026 school year.
98%
of Utah High
Schools
Participate
Truck Smart
Utah’s Truck Smart program is recognized nationally for how much it has scaled and grown, presenting in 715 classrooms across the state during the 2025-2026 school year.
Pre-Driver
Since 2022 when the Pre-Driver Countdown to Drive program was created, it has seen incredible growth. In just four years, it has reached a milestone of 557 presentations during the last school year.
Beat the
Street
Since 2021, the Beat the Street program has grown immensely. During the 2025–2026 school year alone, the initiative delivered 468 assemblies.
113,000
Utah Elementary
Students Reached
