Gov. honors James Madison U.'s SafeRides service

[IMAGE]JMUresize.jpg[/IMAGE]RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Bob McDonnell presented awards to the winners of the 2010 Governor's Transportation Safety Awards during a ceremony at the Governor's Mansion.

James Madison University's SafeRides program was awarded the Impaired Driving Safety Award. The mission of SafeRides at James Madison University in Harrisonburg is to prevent drunk driving through education and provide free rides home for JMU students.

In 2009, SafeRides gave rides to between 120 and 150 students each night, each weekend totaling 7,237 rides. To date, SafeRides has given 17,577 rides to JMU students.

The Governor's Transportation Safety Awards are awarded each year by the Board of Transportation Safety. The 12-member board advises the Governor, Secretary of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner on transportation safety matters.

It also identifies elements of a comprehensive safety program for all modes of transportation in Virginia, including air, rail, water, motor carrier, public transportation and pupil transportation.