ROCHESTER, NY (WROC) – We’re only a couple of weeks away from the back to school hustle. A local organization is reminding people about the dangers of distracted driving.

According to the Drive2bebetter campaign, there were nearly 4,000 crashes that involved bicyclists or pedestrians between 2010 and 2017. That’s an average of a little over one crash per day and eight deaths per year.

The Drive2bebetter campaign is a group of partners and different organizations that includes Monroe County and the City of Rochester to promote a culture of driver safety. They focus on placing safety signs in neighborhoods that may have higher rates of crashes involving bicycles and pedestrians.

For Lydia Rivera-Wall wanted to curb speeding on her street, so she turned to the Drive2bebetter campaign. They provided her with yellow signs with three words: slow, scan and space.

“Tried to get speed humps put on our street, because of all the speeding and car accidents that occur in our neighborhood,” said Rivera-Wall. “It’s extremely important. We have many kids running around in the neighborhood. The street is more of their playground and sidewalks as well. So it’s very important for our kids to know about traffic safety.” 

 Rivera-Wall said she’s already seen an improvement. Officials say they hope people would feel more comfortable going out and being physically active. Especially students, now that back to school is just around the corner.

“Parents tell us that speeding cars and unsafe streets are a barrier for them letting their kids walk to school. So, we’re hoping the drive to be better campaign makes it easier for kids to walk to school.” 

Currently, there are more than 300 lawn signs have been placed locally on people’s properties.