Safety On the Road

Every family, individual and business in the country relies on our nation’s roadways. We expect 100% safe operations on our ships, planes and trains, but we still lose 100 lives every day on our roads.

More than 40,000 people died in 2017 in vehicle crashes, and the numbers have not improved. Each of these deaths is preventable, and the National Safety Council is working on a variety of fronts to reduce crashes, prevent injuries and save lives.

In 2018, we made roads safer

LEADERSHIP

Leadership

Celebrated the 1st anniversary of Check to Protect with FCA Group to raise awareness of vehicle recalls, establishing partnerships with 12 states as well as Toyota Motor North America, the Governors Highway Safety Association, National Automobile Dealers Association, National Independent Automobile Dealers Association and National Auto Auction Association

Awarded the Green Cross for Safety Excellence Award, sponsored by Schneider Electric, to Schneider National for early adoption and successful integration of Collision Mitigation System (CMS) to the fleet

Grew Road to Zero Coalition membership by 33% to 800+ members and awarded $1.5 million in community grants, a 50% funding increase over 2017

Testified in front of Congress about the future of commercial automated vehicles

Partnered with Travelers on the #EverySecondMatters distracted driving campaign

Commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Child Passenger Safety Training with the National Child Passenger Safety Board

RESEARCH

Research

Released the Road to Zero report – A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050

Released annual fatality estimates for motor vehicle crashes, topping 40,000 deaths for second year in a row

Expanded focus on pediatric vehicular heatstroke with new Injury Facts page

Presented Robert F. Borkenstein Award to Dr. Marilyn Huestis for her work in forensic toxicology as a leader, researcher, teacher and expert witness

Adopted new policies on Drowsy Driving, Vulnerable Road Users, and Speeding, calling for a safe systems approach to road design and enforcement

Adopted a policy statement on Drug Recognition Experts to address impaired driving through training and enforcement

ADVOCACY

Advocacy

Trained over 1 million drivers via Defensive Driving Safety programs all over the country

Increased Distracted Driving Awareness Month downloads by 18% over last year, with a 70% increase in webinar registrants and sign-ups for free Distracted Driving Course offered during Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Partnered with AAA to share MyCarDoesWhat videos in training courses

Launched a new online resource for teen driving safety in partnership with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation

Created and disseminated teen driving safety materials, including Pointers for Parents and New Driver Deal through a grant from General Motors

Partnered with NYC DOT to bring Alive at 25 to New York City high school students

Partnered with Toyota to bring Alive at 25 to high school students in Alabama