Governors Highway Safety Association Brings a Legacy of Advocacy to
Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving

The need for safer roads transcends state lines. More than 36,000 people die on our roads every year, and autonomous vehicle technology holds the potential to reduce the number of roadway fatalities caused by preventable human choice or error. 

Building on the shared belief that autonomous vehicles have the potential to make our roads safer, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of state, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, has joined the Waymo-led Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving public education campaign.

“Automated vehicle technology presents a critical opportunity to reduce crashes by minimizing or removing human error from the safety equation,” said GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins. “GHSA is excited to join Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving to help prepare motorists, first responders, and the safety community for the rollout of this new safety technology.”

GHSA brings the voice of a respected, national safety organization to Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving, which is composed of local and national advocacy groups committed to exploring how fully autonomous technology could bring a greater level of safety, mobility, convenience, and connectedness to our communities.

A Shared Focus on Safety

GHSA focuses broadly on a range of road safety issues, as well as the most cutting-edge safety challenges and opportunities such as strategies to combat drug-impaired driving, enhance pedestrian safety and introduce new traffic safety technologies such as speed cameras and fully autonomous vehicles. 

GHSA’s adopted policy supports the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technology to “improve road safety, mobility, and convenience.”

GHSA has also emphasized how that greater understanding of autonomous vehicle technology can reduce confusion around new technology, further increasing safety. Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving has also worked to improve public understanding of the differences between fully autonomous technology and driver-assist technologies. 

GHSA shares data and best practices among states to protect the most vulnerable road users, promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety, child passenger safety, and teen driver safety.

GHSA’s expertise and knowledge will add an important lens for the Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving initiative as we work together to raise awareness about important safety issues such as sharing the road with cyclists, keeping child passengers safe, and trends in micro-mobility.

Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving was established as a public education initiative led by Waymo in 2017. The mission of Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving is to bring together a diverse group of voices to the conversation around how autonomous driving technology may shape the future of mobility, safety, and society. Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving partners include driverless technology company Waymo, AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, the PHX East Valley Partnership, Foundation for Blind Children, Foundation for Senior Living, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, National Safety Council, Red Means Stop Traffic Safety Alliance, Students Against Destructive Decisions and now the Governors Highway Safety Association.