2013 National Roadway Safety Awards

THE PARENT'S SUPERVISED DRIVING PROGRAM RECEIVES NATIONAL HONORS

States, Local Governments, and Private Sector Organizations from Across the Country Receive Awards

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 6, 2013 CONTACT: Cathy Gillen desk (202) 857-1203 cell (443) 463-4449 cathygillen@roadwaysafety.org

(Washington, DC) — at an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill, the Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today recognized The Parent's Supervised Driving Program with an Honorable Mention Award presented to Safe Roads Alliance for its efforts to educate parents about the teen driver learning process, and, relevant Graduated Driver Licensing laws, in an effort to make teens safer drivers.

Most parents do not have a clear understanding of teen driving laws and best practices for teaching teens how to drive. Safe Roads Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, worked with Departments of Motor Vehicles from around the country as well as highway safety researchers, academics, behavioral scientists, educators, parents, and teens to develop a best-practices curriculum, The Parent's Supervised Driving Program.

The program's step-by-step instructions help parents through the supervised driving process, ensuring that their teen focuses on developing their driving skills in a variety of roadway conditions. When teens receive their Learner's Permits, all teens, and their parents, receive The Parent's Supervised Driving Program printed curriculum at no cost thanks to a sponsorship-funding model supported by Ford Motor Company and other regional and local sponsors. Parents and teens are also encouraged to download the program's free mobile app, RoadReadyâ„¢ to track the time they spend together behind the wheel. Both the curriculum and the app not only strengthen the supervised driving requirement by providing parents with resources to enhance their experience with their teen driver, but also push parents to extend their involvement beyond the requisite 30-70 hours of supervised driving time.

"We are honored to recognize Safe Roads Alliance today for their work to educate parents and teens about safe teen driving," said Gregory M. Cohen, P.E., Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation. "'Handing every parent a copy of The Parent's Supervised Driving Program, and inviting them to download RoadReady, the program's free mobile app, when their teen gets his or her license is a great start for parents looking to keep their teens safe."

"Parents have a great influence over the way their teen drives," says Jeff Larson, President of Safe Roads Alliance. "The Learner's Permit phase is the last and best chance for parents to have a positive impact and The Parent's Supervised Driving Program guide and mobile app provide the tools that can help."

National Roadway Safety Award recipients were evaluated on three criteria – innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources. Program categories included infrastructure improvements, operational improvements, and program planning, development, and evaluation.

Blue Ribbon Panel Judges included: Philip J. Caruso, Deputy Executive Director for Technical Programs, Institute of Transportation Engineers; Gregory M. Cohen, P.E., Executive Director, Roadway Safety Foundation; William A. Crank, Senior Community Relations Manager, Michelin North America; Anthony Giancola, P.E., Consultant, formerly of the National Association of County Engineers; Michael Griffith, Director, FHWA Office of Safety Technologies; Tony Kane, Consultant, formerly of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and Richard Pain, Transportation Safety Coordinator, Transportation Research Board.

Roadway safety programs are a critical part of the nation's solutions to saving lives and preventing injuries on our nation's highways. There were 32,367 people killed in traffic crashes on U.S. roads in 2011.

The Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation present the biennial National Roadway Safety Awards to programs and projects across the nation exhibiting excellence in roadway design, operations and planning. The RSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable and educational organization solely dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes by improving the safety of America's roadways.

For additional information on RSF, please visit www.roadwaysafety.org; on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/roadwaysafetyfoundation; and on Twitter at @roadway_safety, #RoadwaySafetyAwards.

For additional information on FHWA safety programs, please visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov; on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/pages/Federal-Highway-Administration; and on Twitter at @USDOTFHWA, #RoadwaySafetyAwards.

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ATTENTION EDITORS – Digital photographs of the award winners at the luncheon in Washington, DC will be available. Detailed information on the award winning programs can be found at www.roadwaysafety.org.