Major RSF Activities May 2011 – October 2011

National Roadway Safety Awards

• Selected winners of the 2011 National Roadway Safety Awards: RSF was busy throughout the late spring and summer working with our partners to finish promoting the application period (ended June 30) for the 2011 National Roadway Safety Awards, co-sponsored by RSF and FHWA. In all, 43 applications were received, and judging was completed September 9 at FHWA.  RSF is now busy preparing for the Awards luncheon ceremony, which will be held on Capitol Hill November 15.

Safety Materials

• Began Edits to Updated Roadway Safety Guide: Major progress was made this summer on the significant effort to revise and re-write this popular publication. RSF Program Assistant Bruce Hamilton completed the draft manuscript in August and the roughly 100-page document is now being edited internally prior to being reviewed by RSF’s safety partners and the Guide’s advisory task force. This product was originally published 10 years ago to serve as a resource for elected officials, community leaders, civic groups, and concerned citizens who were interested in improving safety on their highways. A designer has been selected to revamp this popular document and keep it fresh for a new decade.
• Awarded $3,000 State Farm Grant for Researching, Writing, Designing, and Printing the Guide: RSF applied for and won a $3,000 grant from State Farm to defray the costs of researching, writing, designing, and printing the new version of the Roadway Safety Guide.  An application for a second grant – of $5,000 in 2012 – is currently under review.
• Reprinted Popular Recognize, React, Recover DVDs: In July, RSF was pleased to order 5,000 new copies of the Recognize, React, Recover campaign DVDs. This product proved so popular that the original supply of 5,000 units went fast, with RSF fulfilling roughly 150 distinct orders to date. The DVD and its corresponding brochure explore the causes and consequences of run-off-road crashes, promote rumble strips as a cost-effective countermeasure, offer professional driving tips for avoiding such a crash, and touch on a range of hot-button topics like distracted and drowsy driving. These products have thus had a broad appeal, and have been ordered by driving schools, non-profit organizations, government agencies, traffic engineers, and law enforcement officials.

New Member

• Welcomed National Coalition for Safer Roads: RSF welcomed the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) as its newest member, following an affirmative vote at the May 10 Advisory Committee meeting. The mission of NCSR is to save lives by promoting the use of red light cameras. In 2009 alone, nearly 700 people were killed and 113,000 were injured in crashes nationwide that involved red-light running. More than half of those killed were pedestrians, bicyclists, and other innocent road users other than the red-light violator. National studies have shown red light cameras to be an effective deterrent against this reckless and dangerous practice, and NCSR brings together a variety of stakeholders to promote the use of these cameras in communities across the country.

Meetings/Outreach

• Attended and Staffed Booth at National Youth Traffic Safety Month and Decade of Action for Road Safety Kick-Off Events: On May 11, RSF staff participated in events to launch National Youth Traffic Safety Month and the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). The day’s schedule included a morning press event followed by an afternoon program featuring a Decade of Action for Road Safety EXPO, at which RSF distributed safety materials and networked with attendees.
  
• Presented at National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) Meeting: On May 12, RSF Managing Director Cathy Gillen spoke to attendees of the NOYS meeting on the issue of rural traffic safety issues for teen drivers. Since its founding in 1994, NOYS has grown to nearly 40 national youth and youth-serving organizations. NOYS members have been meeting several times a year over the past several years to share information on their individual programs and projects, collaborate with other member organizations to develop programs, and work together on NOYS-sponsored projects.
• Participated in 2011 Strategic Communications Forum: From June 6-8, RSF Managing Director Cathy Gillen represented RSF at the 2011 Strategic Communications Forum sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Governors Highway Safety Association. The event, which is held every three or four years, incorporated a variety of issues and topics to help attendees create effective, individualized communications programs utilizing both new and traditional communication tools. Throughout the Forum, plenary and interactive breakout sessions focused on such fundamental communication topics as: target audience segmentation and research; earned and paid media; social and interactive media; and rising issues like distraction, motorcycle fatalities, and speed. Gillen networked with colleagues in traffic safety from around the country and examined marketing techniques that can be applied to RSF programs.
• Keynoted the University of New Mexico’s Institute of Public Law Drivers Education Recertification Class: On June 10, RSF Managing Director Cathy Gillen was the keynote speaker at the University of New Mexico’s Institute of Public Law Drivers Education Recertification Class in Albuquerque, NM. The Institute is contracted with the New Mexico Department of Transportation—Traffic Safety Bureau to conduct trainings for Driver Education Instructors, DWI School Facilitators, and Driver Safety Instructors licensed in the state of New Mexico. Gillen spoke to the group of 90 about rural traffic safety issues for teens. All attendees received a copy of the Recognize, React, Recover DVD and brochure which highlight the causes and consequences of run-off-road crashes.
• Attended NTSB Unveiling of “Most Wanted List,” and Invited to Board Meeting Breakfast to Meet Chairwoman Hersman: On June 23, RSF attended a press conference at which the NTSB unveiled its latest “Most Wanted List” of safety improvements. Prior to the event, RSF was invited to a breakfast meeting with NTSB Chairwoman Hersman, which provided an opportunity to meet the Board members and discuss pressing safety concerns.
• Hosted and Briefed Tajik Traffic Safety Delegation: On July 21, RSF Managing Director Cathy Gillen hosted and briefed a delegation of Tajik traffic safety professionals. The participants – from Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs – were specialists in law enforcement and traffic engineering and were in the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Gillen briefed the group on RSF’s mission, the role of non-profits and charitable groups in the larger traffic safety field, and the products and programs RSF offers in fulfillment of its public outreach and education function.
• Attended the 34th Annual Conference of the National Transportation Public Affairs Workshop (NTPAW): From August 15-18, RSF Managing Director Cathy Gillen attended NTPAW in Des Moines, IA. NTPAW attendees represent the communication directors and staffs of all state DOTs across the country. The meeting provided a forum for information sharing and learning of best practices in transportation public relations and communications.
• Attended and Exhibited at the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ (AAMVA) 78th Annual International Conference: From August 21-22, RSF exhibited at AAMVA’s Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, WI.  The theme of this year’s meeting was “Driving Toward Zero Deaths.” The meeting was an excellent opportunity to reach DMV leaders with our safety messages and materials; at the booth, RSF promoted our Safer Roads campaigns and distributed our popular safety materials.
• Attended and Presented at the National Association of Women Highway Safety Leaders’ (NAWHSL) 44th Annual Conference: From September 21-25, RSF staff attended the NAWHSL Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, OH. RSF Managing Director Cathy Gillen exhibited at the event, and provided the luncheon address on September 23, in which she discussed the Recognize, React, Recover campaign. NAWHSL is a non-profit organization composed of leaders working nationwide to prevent and reduce deaths and injuries on our nation’s roadways. NAWHSL was founded in 1967 after the National Conference of Women Community Leaders for Highway Safety, which was sponsored by the National Association of Counties in Washington, DC. It is the first and only organization of women leaders whose goals are devoted exclusively to traffic crash prevention.
• Attended 2011 Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) Annual Meeting: From September 25-28, RSF attended the GHSA Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, OH. GHSA represents the state and territorial highway safety offices that implement programs to address behavioral highway safety issues, including occupant protection, impaired driving, and speeding. GHSA provides leadership and advocacy for the states and territories to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and promote best practices. FHWA distributed various RSF materials at their booth during the event.
• Moderated “Media Matters” Panel at National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) Teen Distracted Driving Summit, and Attended NOYS Meeting: RSF Managing Director Cathy Gillen moderated a panel on Monday, October 17 at the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) Teen Distracted Driving Summit. The panel, “Media Matters,” was intended to educate teens about how the media works, what captures reporters’ interests, and strategies for “selling” safety messages to journalists and news outlets. Speakers included Chris Cubbison, from USA Today; Adam Tuss from WTOP; Tom Costello, with NBC News; Keith Laing, from The Hill; and Rowena Tse of the Ad Council. On October 18, RSF attended the subsequent NOYS meeting.
• Attended Highway Safety Partners’ Venture (HSPV) Meetings: RSF attended two HSPV meetings this summer and fall, the first being on June 23. On September 15, RSF Executive Director Greg Cohen spoke to the attendees – who meet regularly to discuss highway safety issues at the national level – and weighed in on communications messaging for various safety organizations. Cohen also gave independent updates on the status of the reauthorization bill, discussing legislative provisions and separate safety-related legislation.
• Completed Manuscript Review on Teen Driver Safety: In September, RSF Program Assistant Bruce Hamilton completed a manuscript review on behalf of the Roadway Safety Foundation of a forthcoming book on teen driver safety. The book’s author, Tim Hollister, lost his son Reid in a fatal car crash in Connecticut in 2006, and has maintained a blog (“From Reid’s Dad”) in the years since to help other parents keep their kids safe on the roads. The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), a close partner of the Roadway Safety Foundation, advised Tim to reach out to RSF for feedback on the manuscript.

Communications

• Published and Distributed Issue of the Roadway Safety Reporter: In September, RSF published the Third Quarter issue of the Roadway Safety Reporter, RSF’s print, 4-page, color newsletter. The issue announced a major re-print of RSF’s Recognize, React, Recover campaign DVDs, highlighted the upcoming National Roadway Safety Awards luncheon, and briefed readers on all of RSF’s recent travels. The newsletter also covered a July event, in which RSF hosted a Tajik Traffic Safety Delegation visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.  Additionally, we introduced a new member – the National Coalition for Safer Roads – and welcomed Brian Roberts as the new Executive Director of the National Association of County Engineers (NACE). Outgoing Executive Director Tony Giancola serves as RSF’s secretary, and we are pleased that he has decided to continue serving in this role despite his retirement.  The newsletter was mailed to both RSF members and prospective members and was distributed at the NAWHSL Annual Conference.
• Published and Distributed Issue of the Roadway Safety E-Reporter: In June, RSF distributed the 2nd Quarter issue of our e-newsletter.  The issue celebrated the launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety, announced the extension of the application period for the 2011 National Roadway Safety Awards, and provided highlights from the May 10 Advisory Committee meeting. The newsletter is a great way to alert members and others in the safety community about the program areas in which RSF is working.
• Promoted New RSF Facebook Page: Throughout the spring and summer RSF has been promoting its new Facebook page, which launched February 24. Though still a work-in-progress, visitors to the page can find information about all of our educational products, get updates on RSF’s recent travels, and share thoughts and materials on important highway safety topics. In the coming months we’ll be expanding the page and posting new content to keep viewers informed about our activities and to build a network of safety advocates.

Upcoming Events/Meetings

• National Roadway Safety Awards Luncheon: On November 15, RSF and FHWA will recognize the winners of the 2011 National Roadway Safety Awards at a luncheon on Capitol Hill. In addition to promoting best practices and honoring lifesaving achievements in this field, this event helps to publicize the critical contribution made by the roadway and roadside environments to overall traffic safety. The event will be held at 12 noon in the Rayburn House Office Building.
• Lifesavers 30th National Conference: RSF will exhibit at Lifesavers in Orlando, FL, June 14-16, 2012. Each year the Lifesavers conference brings together more than 2,000 diverse stakeholders in traffic safety, and addresses topics ranging from child passenger protection to roadway design and vehicle technology. RSF will be on hand to promote the engineering side of highway safety, and to distribute our popular educational materials.