Governors Highway Safety Association Ghsa

Programs: Driving skills for life, a program developed by ford motor company, ghsa and safety experts, seeks to reduce the number of driving injuries and fatalities by helping newly licensed drivers develop the skills necessary for safe driving. The program includes: redesigned driving skills for life website; ride and drives, a series of free, hands-on driving events; summer camps where teen drivers and their parents learn critical driving skills; and an educational kit that has been sent to over 20,000 high schools which includes a teacher's guide, entertaining video, brochure, poster and a take-home component so parents can be involved. Driving skills for life focuses on four skills experts agree are most important in preventing crashes, when combined with zero tolerance for alcohol use and the importance of seat belt use: hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management, and speed management.

ghsa's annual meeting takes place in a different state for 5 days. Typically scheduled between late august to early october, the meeting brings together more than 400 state, national and private sector highway safety representatives. The executive board/committee establishes a theme and the planning committee, in conjunction with the headquarters staff and host state staff puts the plan in motion. The meeting kicks off on a saturday with an executive board meeting and concludes on a wednesday with a closing general session/lunch.

outreach to states on ignition interlocks, a program in cooperation with nhtsa to undertake activities that will reduce the incidence of traffic crashes related to impaired driving with specific attention to increasing the use of ignition interlocks; provide technical assistance and training to state and community groups in support of impaired driving motor vehicle crash reduction activites; provide communication and marketing opportunities to bring the impaired driving motor vehicle crash problem to the public's attention; and provide resources to improve the state's system in its efforts to address the impaired driving motor vehicle crash problem by working closely with state and local policy leaders, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, dmv's, health care and injury prevention professionals, advocates and other state and community level groups.