Our Mission is Safety
The National Safety Council eliminates preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.
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December 2018
Car crashes are the number one killer for drivers ages 15-24. In 2016, the number of people dying in crashes involving at least one young driver totaled 4,853, a 2% increase over the 2015 total of 4,744 (Injury Facts).
The National Safety Council is committed to decreasing the number of fatalities involving teen drivers. Data shows that teens are at highest risk for a crash the year after obtaining their driver's license, primarily due to inexperience. One of the most effective strategies in reducing teen deaths from car crashes is to maximize experience and minimize risks. NSC is a leader in promoting the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) framework which is designed to lower the risks of a crash by calling on states to require a certain amount of supervised practice driving hours, along with night-time and passenger restrictions.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported GDL can reduce a teen's crash risk by as much as 50%, yet most teenagers and parents are not aware of GDL. To help parents better understand GDL and how to support the development of their teens’ driving skills, NSC created DriveitHOME (DIH). DIH is an online resource designed by and for parents of newly-licensed teen drivers that offers a variety of tools parents can use to help their teen obtain the experience needed behind the wheel to become safer drivers. These resources include a parent-teen contract, videos, blogs and coaching lessons. In addition to DIH, NSC develops initiatives, programs and policies to increase attentive driving, ensure passenger safety, and instill safer driving habits for everyone.
All of NSC’s resources for parents and teenagers have been created in thanks to philanthropic contributions. Charitable contributions provide the funding needed to continue to identify risk factors impacting teen driving and create solutions to improve driving behaviors and keep all of us safe on the roads.
April 30th, 2014, started like any other day for Jodene “Jodi” Lopresto, but it would change her life forever. That morning, Jodi kissed her two boys goodbye and left her Lexington home. While driving to work, she was struck head on by an SUV going 95 mph. Her car was shoved nearly 100 feet. The SUV driver tested positive for four different drugs in her system at the time of the crash.
The first officer to the scene thought she was a fatality. After being cut from the wreckage, Jodi was airlifted to Oklahoma University Trauma in OKC where she coded twice. She suffered life threatening injuries, including multiple internal injuries, a broken jaw, broken legs and feet and damaged vertebrae.
Over the past three years, Jodi has had over 40 surgeries. While she fights to continue to heal both physically and emotionally, she is using her tragedy as an opportunity to educate the public on the dangers of impaired and distracted driving. Just like the National Safety Council, Jodi’s goal is to inspire behavior change to reduce the devastating number of motor vehicle fatalities nationwide each year. Her organization, Jodene’s Voice, supports the Oklahoma ENDUI campaign, NSC and MADD. She works with state legislatures on laws and bills, is a motivational speaker and educator, speaking at schools and other functions to create safer roads for us all.
2018 marks the third consecutive year of NSC’s partnership with Phi Kappa Psi at Syracuse University. Members of the fraternity started raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and funds in support of NSC in 2016 in memory of two fraternity brothers, Vincent Maugeri and Hunter Watson, both lost to distracted driving that same year. Activities include a candlelight vigil, table promotions throughout campus, social media blitz as well as a “pie a brother” event, all to encourage the Syracuse community to take the pledge to end distracted driving. Over the past three years, Phi Kappa Psi has raised over $22,000 in support of NSC’s distracted driving initiatives. Thank you Phi Kappa Psi for your hard work and unwavering commitment!
Find out more about how you can raise funds for NSC HERE!
Join us in Chicago on May 16, 2019, as we honor excellence with the Green Cross for Safety Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in safety through three distinct awards: Safety Excellence, Safety Innovation and Safety Advocate.
This premier safety event of the year attracts nearly 500 attendees, including safety professionals, corporations and government officials from around the country. All funds raised will be used to carry out all facets of the National Safety Council mission to save lives and prevent injuries. Every day, NSC works to identify emerging risks to human safety and create effective solutions through research, education and advocacy to create a safer world for each other at work, in homes and communities, and on the road.
For more information, please visit greencross.nsc.org.
General Motors is committed to creating a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. The company demonstrates this commitment through investments in vehicle and road safety, STEM education and community development.
The National Safety Council is grateful to General Motors for their dedicated support in helping us establish and expand our parent education program, DriveitHOME (DIH). Through their generosity, we have reached thousands of parents with new drivers, providing them with the resources they need to guide their teenage drivers through their first year on the road.
Thanks to a new grant this year, NSC will continue to expand its reach with initiatives designed to engage more parents in utilizing the DriveitHOME resources. Through this partnership with General Motors, parents across the country will know how to keep their teens safe on the road and together, we will reduce the number of motor vehicle fatalities.
Are you ready to take action and help protect those closest to you? The National Safety Council Safety Ambassador Program encourages individuals to bring safety back home and into their communities to keep their friends, neighbors and loved ones safe. The program offers all of the tools and resources you’ll need, all you have to do is choose an activity, such as:
Getting started is easy. In just 3 steps, you can make a difference and help build a safer community.
Make a difference in safety today and help protect those closest to you!
The National Safety Council eliminates preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. Donate to our cause.
The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization.