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

Parent's Supervised Driving Program

The data is clear: new teen drivers are at risk as soon as they get behind the wheel, and the less experience they receive, the more that risk increases. Parental engagement in teen driver education is a key solution to this societal problem.


John S. Kennedy
Reducing DUI recidivism in Pennsylvania has always been a challenge. Luckily, the Target 25 Program shows great promise in doing just that.

It Can Wait
AT&T’s It Can Wait movement seeks to end texting while driving by encouraging behavior change.

Don't Drive Stupid
Recognizing the critical role parents play in helping their teens survive their most dangerous driving years, Utah’s Zero Fatalities program incorporated Parent Nights into its “Don’t Drive Stupid” teen safe driving program.

Remembering Ally
Remembering Ally educates teens and adults about the dangers of distracted driving, honoring a teen killed by injuries sustained in a motor vehicle crash caused by a distracted driver.

ODOT Transportation Safety Division

Oregon has one of the lowest police to population ratios in the Western United States. To address this disparity, law enforcement agencies know they must work smarter to address the many safety issues impacting the communities they serve.


Kentucky Drive Down
A collaborative effort between East Kentucky Broadcasting and the Pike County Highway Safety Team, Drive Down is credited with sparking a 19.8 percent reduction in crashes in the state’s “most dangerous” county.

Florida DOT
Recognizing the need to improve safety for these vulnerable roadway users, the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Bicycle/Pedestrian Focused Initiative commenced in late 2011.

Ollie Otter
Until Ollie Otter there was no comprehensive statewide booster seat and seatbelt campaign targeted to Tennessee’s elementary school children and their caregivers.

Yellow Dot Program
The Northeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office’s “Yellow Dot” program equips first responders with access to an injured person’s critical medical information to help stabilize their patients sufficiently.

Smart Roadside Inspection Program

The New Mexico Department of Public Safety, Motor Transportation Police Division’s (NM DPS MTPD’s) Smart Roadside Inspection Program (Smart Roadside) is a datadriven strategy that uses technology to revolutionize the delivery of commercial vehicle enforcement (CVE).


Guam DWI Court Members
The Guam DWI Court has led to outstanding improvements in the adjudication and treatment of DWI offenders in the U.S. Territory of Guam.

Safe on 17
The “Safe on 17” Task Force – led by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) – was formed in 1999 to address high collision rates on this dangerous stretch of road.

Traffic Safety Coalition
The Traffic Safety Coalition (TSC) quickly assembled a diverse group of safety advocates to conduct a vast education and advocacy program to show how traffic safety cameras are effective.

Teens in the Driver Seat
Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) brings a fresh approach to teen driver safety, making teens directly responsible for both the development and delivery of traffic safety messages to their peers.