2024 Traffic Safety Data Collection Grants
In May 2024, GHSA and Michelin Mobility Intelligence announced $300,000 in grants to three states for advanced traffic safety data collection and analysis. This will allow them to develop a more current and complete understanding of traffic safety issues, their underlying causes and potential solutions.
- California: The data provided by MMI will help the California Office of Traffic Safety and its partner agencies measure the effectiveness of recent increases in traffic enforcement and target where additional resources may be needed to deter dangerous driving behaviors, with a goal of reducing deaths and serious injury crashes.
- Minnesota: MMI will provide the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) with data on distracted driving (like phone handling), speeding and harsh braking in Hennepin County. The MMI data, in combination with crash data and other traffic safety information, will help OTS and its partners implement countermeasures to protect road users in the state’s most populous county. The lessons learned and data trends will also provide insight and inform solutions for all of Minnesota.
- Washington: The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) has identified South King County and Yakima County as areas that are overburdened and underinvested. This has resulted in higher rates of fatal crashes impacting historically marginalized communities and disproportionately impacting Native American, Black and Hispanic populations. WTSC will use MMI’s data analysis to guide the implementation of projects to improve the safety of those identified areas, and a tool for discussions with community members on MMI-identified high-risk locations. The Commission will also share the data analysis with local public works agencies to encourage infrastructure improvements and inform additional behavior change educational programs.
Teens and Tire Safety
Since 2014, Michelin has been working to promote the inclusion of tire safety information in new-driver training materials through its Beyond the Driving Test program. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have committed to include this information.
In August 2020, GHSA partnered with Michelin North America to survey U.S. parents of novice drivers to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their teens’ driver education/licensing. A news release and infographic discussing the survey findings were released on October 19 in conjunction with National Teen Driver Safety Week. This was followed by a satellite media tour, during which GHSA and Michelin officials discussed the survey findings and offered tips to help parents fill the gap in formal training caused by the pandemic. Michelin also addressed the importance of parents teaching their teens how to check tire tread depth and air pressure, which affect vehicle safety. The tour generated more than a dozen television interviews with local network affiliates and nationally syndicated outlets.
The survey findings and tips were also shared via social media. In addition, GHSA provided the news release and infographic to the State Highway Safety Offices, as it presented an opportunity to promote state and/or partner teen driving resources.