An annual project for over 15 years our club has produced the SafeDrive Map to alert citizens, especially newcomers and student drivers, about the most dangerous roads and intersections in the Thomasville/Thomas County region. One indicator of the map's success is the fact that 4000 copies are distributed free of charge with help from all six Interact Clubs associated with our Club, all area auto insurance companies, the Georgia State Patrol Drivers' and Examination office and others. The map credits the Rotary Club of Thomasville as sole sponsor, branding Rotary as a leader in driver safety for the community.
In 2015, the club developed a digital version of the map, making it particularly attractive and relevant to teens. We hypothesized that a digital map would lessen demand for the paper maps and therefore reduce printing costs but soon discovered that older adults and parents of teens still prefer the hardcopy maps. The digital SafeDrive Map uses Google Maps™ to provide a self-directed virtual “tour” of the 14 flagged locations. Users view one flagged map location at a time and, when they click on that location, they are taken to a page that shows the location on an actual map segment along with written information that describes the danger. The map is accessible online via any smartphone at Safe Drive Map by QR code, or on Facebook.
The 6th Edition of the SafeDrive Map, based on most recent 3-year data from the Georgia DOT and local police department, debuted January 2017.