Highlights of Association Activity, FY 2025

In FY 2025, GHSA continued to work with U.S. DOT and Congress to highlight the need for streamlining state grant programs so states can dedicate more funding to innovative traffic safety initiatives.

• GHSA met with political leadership at U.S. DOT, submitted written comments to U.S. DOT on how to reduce regulatory burden on states, testified in a hearing before the House of Representatives' Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and advocated for GHSA policy priorities with Congress.
• GHSA established core safety tenets to guide the development of the next surface transportation reauthorization to include strengthening roadway safety through strategic investment, modernizing and streamlining grant program administration and promoting flexibility and state-centered innovation.

GHSA supported state efforts to curb impaired driving through two grant programs:

• In partnership with Lyft, the SHSOs in Ohio and Maryland each received $20,000 for fall 2024 campaigns designed to encourage people to make the responsible decision and leave the driving to someone who is sober.
• Funded through Responsibility.org and the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving, work began on the new initiatives to combat alcohol, cannabis and multiple-substance impaired driving in Colorado, Idaho and Missouri.

GHSA collaborated with both General Motors (GM) and State Farm® to combat distracted driving.

• GM grants totaling $200,000 were awarded to SHSOs in Missouri and Maryland to develop, implement and assess local distracted driving prevention programs. Efforts included localized media featuring first responders, youth engagement initiatives in schools, and real-time data analysis to guide enforcement and measure impact.
• A third GM grant supported training for youth journalists in diverse and underserved communities who developed news stories, videos and social media posts about distracted driving and the danger it poses for all road users.
• For Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April 2025, GHSA launched a social media campaign where athletes and social lifestyle influencers shared messages about the dangers of distracted driving. The campaign resulted in 1 million potential impressions, more than 2,800 engagements, 161 shares and nearly 32,000 video views.
• GHSA and State Farm® partnered to develop a new website, GenerationDistractionFree.org to help parents and guardians raise a generation of distraction-free, safe road users.

The Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program – a partnership between Ford Philanthropy and GHSA – held nine free, hands-on driving events across the country in FY 2025.

• The program continued to prioritize teaching teen drivers how to safely share the road with pedestrians, bicyclists, scooter riders and other vulnerable road users.
• More than 3,200 teens and their chaperones attended the events.
• The Texas Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Section funded one event, marking the first time a state was the sole funder of a DSFL ride-and-drive event.

GHSA’s latest pedestrian fatality report shows that pedestrian deaths in the U.S. declined a projected 4.3% in 2024 but remain nearly 20% higher than in 2016.

• An estimated 7,148 people on foot were killed in 2024.
• Most fatalities occurred at night, were hit and run crashes, often involved SUVs or pickups and were more likely in areas without sidewalks.

In partnership with the National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), GHSA awarded $75,000 in safe youth mobility grants to SHSOs in Missouri, Oregon and Washington.

• The funding supports collaboration with grassroots community groups to implement local programs.
• Now in its fourth year, the program targets younger students in rural and underserved areas.
• Projects provide hands-on traffic safety education, access to safe biking equipment and interactive environments like traffic gardens to teach safe walking, biking and rolling practices.

Through funding provided by a partnership with MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence, GHSA awarded three states – Connecticut, North Dakota and Washington – $100,000 each for access to MICHELIN data services.

• This support will help these states build a more current and comprehensive understanding of traffic safety issues, their root causes, and potential solutions.
• By leveraging long-term data and real-time insights, these states can better identify behavioral trends and implement effective countermeasures.