FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2017
Contact: Kara Macek, kmacek@ghsa.org
202-789-0942
Partnership will raise profile of behavioral traffic safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is pleased to announce the launch of a new forum for collaborative research through the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP).
Through funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the BTSCRP will conduct research projects proposed and selected by State Highway Safety Offices to provide actionable solutions that will save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce the costs of traffic crashes associated with unsafe behaviors. BTSCRP is jointly managed by NHTSA and GHSA and executed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), which is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
As TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen explains, “Traffic safety has long been one of TRB’s highest priorities. The vast majority of traffic crashes result from human error, so a research program that focuses on human behavior is critical. We look forward to working closely with GHSA and NHTSA in finding new ways to reduce crashes related to behavioral issues.”
For each BTSCRP research project, TRB will assemble a panel of subject matter experts to provide guidance throughout its full lifecycle, from problem statement development through final product delivery.
GHSA Research Committee Chair Thomas Glass states, “This is exciting for GHSA members and anyone working in the highway safety field. The panels can include members from law enforcement, prosecution, treatment and many other professional fields that do not work directly for an SHSO. We are benefiting not only by the collaboration of TRB, but also by the widening circle of experts that we will become active participants in highway safety research.”
Information on GHSA’s current research projects can be found at www.ghsa.org/resources/BTSCRP. Projects financed through FFY 2014-2017 are administered by NHTSA with assistance from the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Sign up for news alerts related to BTSCRP at http://bit.ly/BTSCRPnews and follow the hashtag #BTSCRP on Twitter.
# # #
About GHSA
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. Contact GHSA at 202-789-0942 or visit www.ghsa.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GHSAhq or follow us on Twitter @GHSAHQ.