The James J. Howard Highway Safety Trailblazer Award is GHSA's highest award. The award honors an individual for sustained, outstanding leadership in endeavors that significantly improve roadway safety.
Nominations for the 2025 Howard Award are open through Friday, April 4. The award will be presented at a breakfast, sponsored by the National Road Safety Foundation and Responsibility.org, at the GHSA 2025 Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, August 27.
The recipient of this award must have undertaken a concerted, long-term effort to make our nation’s roadways safer and made a significant contribution to the field of traffic safety. The recipient must have established and implemented programs or been responsible for notable advancements in technology or research throughout the years that yielded a demonstrated national safety impact.
The career of Representative James J. Howard (D-NJ) was distinguished by his steadfast commitment to highway safety issues. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964, Howard — who came to be known as "Mr. Highway Safety" — was named Chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee in 1980. He had previously chaired the Public Works Energy Subcommittee where, in 1974, he introduced the idea of a 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. In addition, Howard authored an innovative coordinated surface transportation policy and program.
Howard's other notable, enduring contributions to the fight for enhanced highway safety include sponsorship of a myriad of bills, including the following:
