BEST PRACTICES ON DISPLAY: GHSA Annual Meeting

10/08/2021

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a nonprofit representing state and territorial highway safety offices that implement federal grant programs to address behavioral highway safety issues. September 11-15, 2021, GHSA brought together industry leaders to address the challenges created from the pandemic which changed the way people work, interact and travel.

This year’s theme was “Moving Mountains: Forging a New Traffic Safety Landscape.” General sessions considered the rise in speeding during the pandemic, the need to improve equity in traffic enforcement and how states, law enforcement and first responders can prepare for automated vehicles. Breakout workshops examined timely traffic safety issues such as impaired driving, speeding, pedestrian safety, equitable enforcement, and federal highway safety efforts.

“One of the themes we heard throughout the GHSA 2021 Annual Meeting in Denver was the extent of the impaired driving problem on our roadways,” said GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins. “It will take a team effort to end drunk driving so everyone gets home safely. GHSA values the TEAM Coalition’s partnership and dedication to putting a stop to these preventable crashes, injuries and deaths. Everyone wins when fans celebrate responsibly.”


GHSA
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GHSA provides leadership and representation for the states and territories to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and promote best practices. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federal and state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans. Contact GHSA at 202-789-0942 or visit www.ghsa.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GHSAhq or follow us on Twitter @GHSAHQ.


TEAM Coalition
Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management is a 501(c)(3) non-profit coalition that includes Lyft, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Delaware North Sportservice, Legends, Spectra, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Constellation Brands, HEINEKEN USA, Molson Coors, Brown-Forman, the International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association, Live Nation, Aramark and the National Association of Broadcasters. TEAM Coalition receives grant support from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information, go to TEAMCoalition.org.

US DOT / NHTSA 2019 NATIONAL DATA:

  • In 2019, 10,142 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related (BAC > 0.08) car crashes, a decrease of 5.3% from the 10,710 fatalities in 2018.
  • Many, if not most of those lives would have been saved if people did not drive when they were impaired by alcohol or if they used sober, designated drivers or if they simply wore their seat belts.
  • Statistics and research clearly show that 21-34 year old males are the demographic most likely to be involved in an automobile crash, drive when impaired by alcohol and fail to buckle up.