NSC continues to focus on reducing the number of lives lost to motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. Primary areas of concern are distracted driving, speeding, teen drivers, alcohol-impaired drivers, mature drivers (65+) and use of occupant restraints. NSC is also working to save lives and prevent injuries through initiatives targeting falls of older Americans and workplace falls, unintentional prescription drug overdoses and overexertion.
In 2009 the council became the first organization to call for U.S. motorists to stop using all cell phones and messaging devices while driving. NSC is asking governors and legislators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to ban the use of cell phones and other text messaging devices while driving.
NSC expanded its appeal for people to take personal responsibility for their safety and promote injury prevention in their workplaces, homes and communities. NSC launched Safety Ambassadors, a program that provides tools to volunteers who want to educate colleagues and community residents about the leading U.S. safety risks and tips for injury prevention.
The council presented its first Campbell Award, designed to recognize organizations that demonstrate how integration of environmental, health and safety management into business operations is a cornerstone of their corporate success. Named for Robert W. Campbell, a safety pioneer and the first president of NSC, the award is underwritten by Exxon Mobil Corporation through its philanthropic foundation. Award winners work with an international partnership to develop case studies for use by top business and engineering schools worldwide.
The Council issued Safety Agenda for the Nation to define key injury issues in America: falls in the home, workplace safety, occupant protection, young driver safety, drunk drivers, large truck safety and pedestrian safety.
Also in 2000 the Council presented its first Green Cross for Safety Medal, recognition of an organization and its CEO or other top-level operating official with notable achievements over several years in outstanding employee safety and health, at work, on the road, and in homes and communities.
The Council led the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign in partnership with more than 150 corporations and organizations, increasing U.S. seat belt usage by 19 million people in its first two years and reducing child deaths from air bags by 94 percent. The NSC completed the campaign in 2006, after having exceeded its injury prevention goals.
Since launching emergency care training, NSC has trained more than 8 million people in first aid and CPR. Today the Council trains emergency care leaders who teach CPR with AED and first aid to first-responders in their workplaces and communities.
President Ronald Reagan named Council President Vincent Tofany to the newly established Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving. In 1984, when the commission’s term ended, the NSC became parent host of the National Commission Against Drunk Driving to carry out recommendations of the Presidential Commission.
The first annual Make It Click – Buckle Up seat belt campaign took place, beginning one of the NSC’s best known efforts to increase public use of seat belts and child restraints. The Council played an active role in supporting child restraint laws that are now in effect in 50 states.
At the request of the National Transportation Safety Board, the NSC implemented the Operation Lifesaver Program to reduce injuries and fatalities at railroad-highway grade crossings.
The Council launched the first Defensive Driving Course, adapted from techniques used by professional drivers. Since 1964, the NSC has trained more than 60 million drivers and today offers more than 25 different defensive driving and fleet safety courses. NSC has more than 2,500 authorized Defensive Driving Course Training Centers and more than 8,800 certified DDC Instructors worldwide. Nationally, NSC offers more courses trusted by more individuals, business and government agencies – with the highest success rate in reducing the number and severity of collisions and their related cots – than any other driver trainer provider.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved an Act of Congress that granted a Congressional Charter to the National Safety Council, formally recognizing the NSC's leadership in coordinating safety efforts.
During the 1940s, the NSC Motion Picture and Radio Committee enlisted more than 80 stars of screen and radio to record safety oriented public service announcements.
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on the NSC to "mobilize its nationwide resources in leading a concerted and intensified campaign against accidents, and to call upon every citizen, in public or private capacity, to enlist in this campaign and do his part in preventing wastage of human and material resources of the nation through accidents."
The Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce initiated a National Conference on Street and Highway Safety. The result: the Uniform Vehicle Code, a model for traffic laws in all states.
The Second Safety Congress was held in New York City, with 200 in attendance. The delegates created the National Council for Industrial Safety, "a clearinghouse of safety information available to all concerned." One year later, the name of the organization was changed to National Safety Council to reflect a broader focus including traffic safety and other non-industrial safety issues.
The First Cooperative Safety Congress met in Milwaukee, comprised of a small group of industrial leaders from the Midwest concerned for American workers’ safety. The outcome of their gathering was a decision to form a permanent body devoted to the promotion of safety in U.S. industry. In Chicago a year later, Oct. 13, 1913, the National Council for Industrial Safety was formed.