ALEA Joins National Campaign to Empower Passengers to Take Responsibility for Their Own Safety

MONTGOMERY – Passengers accounted for 62 percent of traffic fatalities nationwide in 2019,

according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It’s imperative that passengers take

responsibility for their own safety, in conjunction with being aware of how to avoid dangerous

situations as a passenger.

That’s why the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is participating in National

Passenger Safety Week, which began Sunday, Jan. 22, and runs through Saturday, Jan. 28.

“Passengers have the ability to keep themselves safe, and it begins with always making the

decision to buckle up. Seat belts save lives,” ALEA’s Secretary Hal Taylor said. “This week is

dedicated to empowering individuals to take a proactive and intentional approach to passenger

safety. Sadly, there have been countless lives lost in traffic crashes that were completely

preventable. Bringing awareness to passenger safety is truly the principal reason our Agency

supports this important initiative. Passengers should never get into a vehicle with an impaired

driver, and they should remember they always have a choice and the ability to discourage such

dangerous driving behaviors as texting, speeding and even driving while drowsy.”

National Passenger Safety Week was launched last January by We Save Lives and The National

Road Safety Foundation, two non-profits that focus on crash prevention and saving lives. ALEA

is joining more than 60 traffic safety and advocacy groups nationwide who are helping

encourage and empower passengers to take responsibility for their own safety. This initiative

includes a nationwide media blitz campaign, social media outreach and involvement from groups

including the Governors Highway Safety Association, (GHSA), which represents traffic safety

offices in all 50 states, the National Safety Council (NSC) and Students Against Destructive

Decisions, (SADD) with more than 400,000 student members.

Michelle Anderson, Director of Operations at the National Road Safety Foundation said, “Much

of being a safe driver comes from education.” The foundation is a non-profit founded 60 years

ago to promote safe driving behaviors through education. “When people are knowledgeable

about driving risks like impairment, speed, aggression and drowsiness, there’s a better chance

they will avoid taking those risks or letting others do so. The National Passenger Safety

Campaign educates and empowers passengers about how they can save lives by calling out

unsafe driving in the vehicle before crashes happen,” she said.

We Save Lives, founded by in 2014 by Candace Lightner, is an umbrella organization of more

than 50 highway safety advocates, law enforcement agencies, companies, local, state, national

and international organizations, victims/survivor groups, and others who want to stop the

carnage on the nation’s highways. They have launched a number of campaigns to change driving

behaviors, with National Passenger Safety Week being their latest.

The National Road Safety Foundation produces free videos and teaching materials on distracted

driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency, pedestrian

safety and a host of other safety issues. It also sponsors contests to engage teens in promoting

safe driving to their peers and in their communities, partnering nationally with youth advocacy

groups including SADD and Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

Visit www.nationalpassengersafety.org for more information and tips on passenger safety.