West Virginia Department of Transportation’s West Virginia Road Ready project helps prepare children to become safety‑conscious, alert, and responsible road users long before they step behind the wheel. Every year, hundreds of people are seriously injured or killed on West Virginia’s roadways, including children, young drivers, passengers, and people walking, biking, scootering, or riding in vehicles. In 2024 alone, 9,793 school‑age children were involved in motor vehicle crashes across the state. Of those, 1,566 were injured and 13 were killed. As West Virginia implements the Safe System Approach, WVDOT identified that bolstering safety begins at a young age. Teaching children safe behaviors when they walk, bike, ride, and eventually drive helps create lifelong habits that reduce risk. To meet this need, WVDOT partnered with the West Virginia Department of Education and other safety stakeholders to launch West Virginia Road Ready. Funded with $1.77 million, the project is fully aligned with West Virginia Department of Education’s curriculum standards in English, math, driver education, and health. The program offers online and printable classroom materials that offers age‑appropriate highway safety messages in engaging, easy‑to‑understand formats. Lessons are designed to resonate with students at every grade level and promote responsible decision‑making. This program was made possible through Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provisions allowing states to use Highway Safety Improvement Program funds for eligible safety initiatives. By educating children today, West Virginia Road Ready supports safer roads tomorrow, helping reduce fatalities and injuries while strengthening the state’s communities and economy over the long term.