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About

Overview

The NSC is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. The NSC was founded in 1913 as a membership organization and now has more than 45,000 member businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals.  The U.S. Congress and President Eisenhower granted the NSC a Federal Charter in 1953, (Public Law 259 of the 83rd Congress) that gave the Council a mandate to “arouse the nation” in accident prevention. 

Activities of the Defensive Driving Courses Information Highway

Driver Training

The NSC developed the first driver improvement program in the nation in 1964.  That program, the Defensive Driving Course (“DDC”) has been taught to nearly 63 million drivers in the U.S., Canada, and abroad.  Since the original DDC program was developed, the NSC has expanded to include more than 30 other driver improvement courses.  Among those are numerous vehicle and/or driver specific courses based on the original DDC.

NSC’s driver improvement/driver education programs are designed and written by NSC staff with the assistance of our International Advisory Committee.  This committee is made up of safety, education, and driver education professionals.

Latest News

The Claritin® Clear to Drive℠ Pledge

The National Safety Council has teamed up with the makers of Claritin® Clear to Drive℠ Campaign, intended to educate the public about the importance of reading medicine labels for warnings about drowsiness before getting behind the wheel. Do your part and commit to safe driving by signing the Claritin® Clear to Drive℠ pledge at www.cleartodrive.com.  For every pledge, the makers of Claritin® will donate $1, up to $30,000, to the National Safety Council.  There is no cost to take this pledge, does not require personal information be given and takes less then 30 seconds.  Please help the National Safety Council save lives and prevent injuries by taking the pledge today! 

National Safety Council Introduces Distracted Driving Resource Kit

The National Safety Council has recently called for a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving.  To support this call, the council has developed a Distracted Driving Resource Kit to inform companies of the risks associated with using cell phones and PDAs while operating a motor vehicle. 

The Distracted Driving Resource Kit allows companies to create and implement individualized distracted driving policies and present them to employees in a positive manner.  Some components of the kit include: a sample cell phone policy, voice mail script suggestions, posters, a one-hour training program and more.  For additional information about the Distracted Driving Resource Kit, please click here.

Other helpful resources about disctracted driving can be found on NSC’s Distracted Driving Web Page.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters Announces Historic Drop in Highway Fatalities and Rate

Motorcycle fatalities still rising, Secretary Peters says, while announcing increased safety, drunk driving outreach and enforcement efforts

WASHINGTON – The number of people who died on the nation’s roads dropped again last year, reaching historically low levels, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.

Secretary Peters said that in 2007, the overall number of traffic fatalities fell to 41,059, the lowest number since 1994. In addition, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.37, the lowest fatality rate on record, she noted.

The Secretary added that 2.49 million people were injured in highway crashes last year, the lowest seen since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began collecting injury data in 1988.

“Thanks to safer vehicles, aggressive law enforcement and our efforts, countless families were spared the devastating news that a loved one was not coming home last year,” Secretary Peters said. “You can be sure that we’re not stopping here, the quest is not over until that bottom line number is zero.”

She noted, for example, that motorcycle safety continues to be a problem. Motorcycle fatalities now account for 13 percent of all fatalities and, in 2007 alone, the number of motorcycle riders or passengers killed on the nation’s roads increased 6.6 percent over the previous year, the Secretary said.

To address these challenges, Secretary Peters announced the launch of new advertisements that focus on motorcycle safety and drunk driving. They can be viewed at http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/planners/crackdown2008/planner/index.cfm
Tomorrow, the Department will kick off its annual impaired driving enforcement crackdown called, “Drunk Driving. Over the limit. Under Arrest.” The effort runs through Labor Day.

During today’s announcement, made outside of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District headquarters, Secretary Peters viewed a motorcycle safety demonstration.

Secretary Peters added that the Department will continue its efforts to combat impaired driving, increase safety belt use and improve motorcycle safety.

“As these new statistics show, we are making progress, but far too many of our friends, neighbors and family members are still getting killed or seriously injured,” Secretary Peters said.

The Department collects crash statistics annually from 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to produce annual reports on fatalities and injuries. To view the 2007 report in its entirety, please visit http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811017.PDF

NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts- August 2008

New Research on Distracted Driving