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Updated January 1, 2008
Who We Are
The Partnership for Safe Driving is a national non-profit 501(c) 3 organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in Washington, DC. We are an independent grassroots organization operating on a shoe-string budget and relying primarily on volunteers to help us spread our message. Our modest financial support comes from individuals like you who are concerned about dangerous road travel in the U.S. and alarmed at how little the government is doing to address the situation.
Our Founders and Partners
The Partnership was founded by Lisa Lewis, a public health and child safety advocate with a master's degree in the field of behavioral science. Ms. Lewis is supported in this endeavor by hundreds of people across the country, many of whom have lost loved ones on our nation's roads. Among the Partnership's most ardent and generous supporters in 2006-2007 were the following:
*Patti P. of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, whose 2-year-old daughter Morgan was killed when their vehicle was broadsided by a driver who ran a stop sign while talking on a cell phone. The driver received only a small fine. In Pennsylvania, as in most other U.S. states, talking on a cell phone is not against the law, and killing someone while doing so is not considered a crime.
*Doreen T. of Forrest Hill, Maryland, whose 14-year-old son Tyler was killed when a speeding motorist ran him over as he rode his bicycle down a residential street. The driver had a history of speeding violations but was nonetheless required to pay only a small fine for Tyler's death. He has continued to amass traffic violations. In Maryland, as elsewhere in the nation, enforcing speed limits on residential streets is considered a low priority for local governments, even though it is a high priority for residents. Punishing those who kill while speeding is also a low priority for government.
*Sharon M. of Columbus, Ohio, whose husband John was killed in a crash caused by an elderly driver on a cell phone. The driver who killed John and seriously injured Sharon received only a small fine. Since her recovery, Sharon has been working tirelessly to bring distracted driving deaths to the attention of legislators in her state. She is repeatedly told this is not a priority.
*Lori K. of Shoreline, Washington, who joined us after a truck driver lost control in an intersection and ran up onto the sidewalk, injuring several pedestrians and killing her mother Kathy. So far prosecutors have filed no charges against the driver.
The Problem
Every year, more than 42,000 people die in sudden, violent, preventable crashes on U.S. roads, and millions more are injured, many of them critically! Local, state, and federal transportation agencies no longer are trying to prevent crashes. They are trying to make them safer (with seatbelts, airbags, and the promotion of larger, more "crashworthy" vehicles). This mission is failing. The incidence of death and serious injury is going up, not down. Motor vehicle crashes are now the leading cause of death in the U.S. for children and adults age 3 to 34, and the leading cause of long-term physical disability, including brain and spinal cord injuries, for all age groups.
There is nothing wrong with making seatbelts, airbags, and vehicle crashworthiness the LAST line of defense on our nation's roads. However, they should not be the ONLY line of defense. Priority must be given to deterring the dangerous behaviors that are causing all the crashes in the first place, including excessive speed (encouraged in some cases by excessive speed limits), running red lights and stop signs, tailgating, improper and unsafe lane changes, distracted driving, drowsy driving, alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, age-impaired driving, reckless police pursuits, operating a vehicle with faulty equipment, and unsafe towing practices.
The Solution
The Partnership is working to raise awareness of the hundreds of horrible tragedies that are taking place DAILY on U.S. roads and to make highway safety a top priority for everyone, including motorists, police officers, mayors, legislators, and presidential candidates. (Have you heard even one presidential candidate so much as mention the words "highway safety" in any televised debate or speech? What's wrong with this picture?)
Ultimately, to bring this crisis to a screeching halt we require that our government first acknowledge that the problem exists, and then re-direct the nation's attention and resources from the failed mission of safe crashing to a mission of preventing crashes from happening in the first place.
Our Goal
To reduce the total number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities on U.S. roads by 50 percent over the next 10 years, and 80 percent over the next 20 years. We can do this with your help!
How We Will Get There
Click here now to learn more about our programs and policy objectives.
The Faces of Change
Click on the links below to view photos from two seminal events that helped launch our movement (under a different name at the time) and see the faces of some of those who helped us get our start. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds we were unable to continue these annual events. We hope to revive them in the future.
National Road Victims Remembrance Day September 1999National Road Victims Remembrance Day September 1998