Immediate Release
December 2, 2009
Batavia, Ohio. A public service announcement (PSA) about the hazards of drinking and driving featuring the Cincinnati Bengals’ Shayne Graham and Chinedum Ndukwe has resulted in the Bengals being presented with the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s 2009 Partners for Safety Award. The award for local programs designed to increase overall safety on state roadways, was presented to Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis and Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn, prior to coach Lewis’ weekly news conference on Wednesday, November 25, 2009.
“The message of the PSA is fans don’t let fans drive drunk,” said Ohio State Highway Patrol-Batavia Post Commander Lt. Randy McElfresh, on hand for the presentation at Paul Brown Stadium. “The message was well received; we’ve distributed thousands of cards about the dangers of drunk driving at the stadium since the PSA started running. Lives have been saved; this type of campaign makes a real difference.”
Over the past three seasons, the Bengals have partnered with the Batavia patrol post to promote traffic safety to players, fans, and the community. “Lt. McElfresh and the patrol do a tremendous job in grabbing the attention of our players and presenting their message in a manner the guys can really understand,” said Coach Lewis. “We appreciate the opportunity for this partnership. The patrol puts the guys at ease and it’s easy for them to ask questions to be better informed community members.”
The Partners for Safety Award was established in 2005 by the Ohio State Highway Patrol to recognize how partnerships, such as this, help in the development of state and local programs to increase the overall safety on Ohio roadways.
Pictured above: Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis, Bengals Executive Vice president Katie Blackburn, Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety Services Cathy Collins, and Batavia OSHP Batavia Post Commander Lt. Randy McElfresh at the presentation of the 2009 Partners for Safety Award for Paul Brown Stadium.
# For additional information about this or other county news, contact Clermont County Communications Director Kathryn Lehr at (513) 732-7597 or by e-mail, klehr@co.clermont.oh.us.