Peter K. O'Rourke Special Achievement Awards

O'Rourke Award

The Peter K. O'Rourke Special Achievement Awards recognize notable achievements in the field of highway safety by individuals, coalitions, organizations, nonprofit groups, businesses, media, government agencies, universities or programs. Submissions may include traffic safety programs, plans or legislation in areas including – but not limited to – occupant protection, impaired driving, speeding or aggressive driving, driver distraction, law enforcement, traffic records, emergency medical services and bicyclist, motorcyclist or pedestrian safety.

2024 Nominations Are Open!

Nominations for the 2024 O'Rourke Awards close on Friday, April 5, 2024. The awards will be presented during the GHSA 2024 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, September 7-11.

Submit a Nomination

2023 Awards

The 2023 O'Rourke Awards were presented to the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, ECU Health Medical Center and Flagman Inc. during the GHSA 2023 Annual Meeting in New York City.

Past Winners

New York State Pedestrian Safety Action Plan
The New York State Pedestrian Safety Action Plan is an ambitious partnership of the New York State departments of health and transportation and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to protect the state’s most vulnerable road users.

Renew Atlanta
The City of Atlanta’s innovative North Avenue Smart Corridor pilot project uses technology, data and partnerships to address traffic and the related mobility and safety challenges along a busy urban artery.

Watch for Me NC
North Carolina’s Watch for Me NC program is a comprehensive effort to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian deaths.

Teen Driver Impact Program
Mississippi’s Teen Driver Impact Program has an innovative method that not only trains teens on how to drive safely.

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office made driving and traffic safety a priority leading to a significant reduction in traffic-, pursuit-, and collision-related injuries and damages.

Texas Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives
Texas Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives (MTSI) was established in 2008 to strengthen the ability of municipal courts to combat impaired driving.

North Carolina Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking
North Carolina's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission created the North Carolina Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking.

New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee
In New York, officers who are Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) can now use tablet computers to enter their observations and assessments of persons suspected of drugged driving.

Connecticut DOT
The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (CTDOT) Crash Data and Analysis and Highway Safety Offices collaborated with the UConn School of Engineering to improve the quality and accessibility of the state’s crash data.

Walk Smart
Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) spearheaded the Walk Smart program, a collaborative approach to reducing the number of pedestrian crashes.

VA Traffic Records
Following the passage of all-offender ignition interlock legislation, the Virginia Highway Safety Office implemented a Traffic Records Electronic Data System Ignition Interlock Project.

Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe
B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides free advanced driver’s education through its Teen Pro-Active Driving Course program.

CHP Education Program
Following a horrific traffic collision involving the death of 13 migrant farm workers, California Highway Patrol introduced the Safety and Farm Labor Vehicle Education (SAFE) program.

ADEPT Driver
ADEPT Driver’s teenSMART® program is a computer-based training program that uses neurocognitive training to improve crash avoidance skills in teenage drivers.

Tim Hollister
Tim Hollister has taken an unthinkable personal tragedy and channeled it into an unrelenting drive to save other parents from the same fate.