National Highway Safety Leaders Meeting in Nashville to Address Risky Driving Behaviors

National Highway Safety Leaders Meeting in Nashville to Address Risky Driving Behaviors

New Data on Speed Camera Effectiveness to be Released Tuesday

WASHINGTON, D.C. and NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The nation's highway safety leaders will hold their Annual Meeting Aug. 29 – Sept. 2 in downtown Nashville to collaborate on improving traffic safety as they work toward zero deaths on America’s roadways.

More than 500 top state highway safety officials and their partners will gather at the Omni Nashville Hotel for the 2015 Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) meeting, Drunk, Drugged & Distracted: Reaching High-Risk Drivers. The event is hosted by the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office.

The conference comes as many states report an increase in traffic fatalities, after years of record lows. General Sessions will address how to curb the most dangerous driver behaviors to move these numbers down again, with a focus on alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers and driver distraction. On Tuesday morning, Adrian Lund, President of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), will present new research on the real-world safety benefits of a model speed camera program and offer recommendations on what states need to do to reduce traffic deaths. Daily highlights include the following:

Monday
Two influential federal highway safety leaders appointed by President Obama are the keynote speakers on Monday morning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Mark Rosekind will share the agency’s latest strategies to reduce the instances of risky driver behavior, including impaired and distracted driving, while the Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli will give his insights on the growing problem of drugged driving and shed light on the latest research and policy recommendations.

Tuesday
Joining IIHS on stage, the heads of two other national safety organizations will share their perspectives on reaching high-risk drivers. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ President & CEO Anne Ferro will talk about how DMVs are approaching unlicensed drivers, teens and other groups that are overrepresented in crashes. Deborah A. P. Hersman, President and CEO of the National Safety Council (NSC) will share how NSC is working to curb distracted driving and help keep teen drivers safe.

Wednesday
Wednesday morning brings all attendees together for an informal dialogue on drug-impaired driving trends and approaches and a special closing luncheon presentation by Joe Theismann, former star quarterback for the Washington Redskins, who will discuss change management and overcoming adversity.

In addition to these general sessions, 15 breakout workshops will address a broad spectrum of highway safety topics, including promising approaches to pedestrian safety, drowsy driving, strategic communications, and more.

A detailed meeting agenda is available online. News media representatives may email GHSA communications director Kara Macek at kmacek@ghsa.org for press credentials. Most general session and workshop speakers will be available for interviews following their sessions.

A record number of companies and organizations are providing support for this year’s meeting, including AT&T, Bridgestone Americas, Ford Motor Company Fund, the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, State Farm^®, NASCAR and Toyota. A full list of meeting sponsors and partners is available here.

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About 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 at @GHSAHQ.