GHSA and General Motors are working together to prevent distracted driving by testing local solutions, supporting youth journalism and raising awareness with social media influencers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Adam Snider (GHSA), 202-580-7930, 202-365-8971 (after hours)
Multipronged effort includes testing local solutions, supporting youth journalism and recruiting social media influencers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and General Motors (GM) are investing more than $250,000 in new funding to support creative new ways to prevent distracted driving, one of the most commonplace – yet dangerous – behaviors on the road.
How prevalent is distracted driving? Research shows that, at any given moment during daylight hours in 2023, more than 326,000 people – half the population of Vermont – were holding a cell phone to their ear while driving. Even more were visibly using their phone in their hand. While cell phones are the most common cause of distracted driving, drivers also are doing a myriad of other activities that take their hands off the wheel, eyes off the road and/or mind off the task of driving.
How dangerous is it? Distracted drivers killed an estimated 3,275 people and injured another 324,819 in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2023, according to federal data. That’s an average of nine deaths and 890 injuries every day. Put another way, that’s one injury every 97 seconds – about the time it will take you to read this news release.
GHSA and GM want to help end driving distracted – whether resulting from using the phone or doing something else that takes a driver’s focus off the road. As part of this continued collaboration, GHSA awarded grants of $100,000 each to the State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO) in Maryland and Missouri to help them develop, implement and evaluate local distracted driving prevention programs. A third grant has been awarded to Youthcast Media Group (YMG) to help expand its successful initiative where youth journalists develop news stories and social media highlighting how distracted driving endangers everyone on the road.
The Maryland and Missouri SHSOs will use their grants in the following ways:
GHSA also is partnering with YMG, a nonprofit that supports high school and college students writing about and reporting on often overlooked health and social issues, such as traffic safety. YMG will work with these student journalists to highlight data illustrating the extent of the problem and show the personal toll of distracted driving through profiles of victims and their families. Last year, youth working with YMG developed a digital toolkit that includes social media posts that SHSOs and their partners are now using to engage with 16- to 24-year-olds.
In addition, GHSA recruited social media influencers and professional and college athletes to help spread the distraction-free message to their fans and followers during Distracted Driving Awareness Month this April. They includes NASCAR driver and safety advocate Ross Chastain; Adrian Wood, Ph.D., an author, speaker, and blogger who posts updates on her life as a mother of four, including one child with special needs; Adria Thompson, a prominent dementia care educator; and three West Virginia University athletes and coaches.
“Distracted driving is one of the most vexing roadway safety issues the U.S. has ever faced. Everyone says it’s a danger, but far too many people admit to doing it when they’re behind the wheel. That must change,” said GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins. “GHSA and GM are building on our previous successes by working with states to try new, local prevention initiatives, giving youth the skills to help educate their peers about the danger, and tapping influencers who can reach new audiences with the safe-driving message.”
These initiatives build on GHSA and GM’s shared focus on eliminating distracted driving and changing the social norm. In 2022, GHSA and GM released a comprehensive report that examined data shortcomings and other obstacles impacting efforts to reduce distracted driving, reviewed SHSO initiatives and the challenges impacting those efforts, and offered 29 recommendations to help combat this deadly driving behavior.
Over the past three years, GHSA and GM have awarded nearly $600,000 in grants to 11 SHSOs to implement recommendations in the report. More information about the GHSA-GM collaboration is online.
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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.
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.
