Federal Resources

In recognition of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, NHTSA has planned a number of activities, including the implementation of U Drive. U Text. U Pay, its second national enforcement campaign for distracted driving, and a robust social media strategy designed to raise public awareness about the consequences of texting and driving.

The Safe Communities approach represents a new way community programs are established and managed. All partners participate as equals in developing solutions, sharing successes, assuming risks, and building a community structure and process to continue improvement of community life through the reduction of injuries and costs.

Factsheet on child safety when riding in vehicles, including links to other resources.

This set of documents was developed by the National Association of Governors Highway Safety Representatives with financial assistance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The guides focus on the following topics: Coalition Building, Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning, Evaluation, Prevention and Education, Underage Drinking Enforcement, Public Policy Advocacy, Media Relations, Self-Sufficiency, and Resources.

Distraction.gov provides wide array of information and resources about distracted driving including information from the 2010 summit on distracted driving, campaign tools, facts, statistics and research, information about laws in different states related to distracted driving, speeches, press releases and other resources for the media.

Liz Marks shares how her accident from texting while driving changed her life. 

NHTSA has developed new motion graphics that rely on images and animations that can help people who speak different languages or may be hearing impared learn about bicycle and pedestrian safety concepts. 

The Department of Transportation created videos interviewing loved ones of victims of distracted driving to show the real impact of not practicing safe driving. 

The Society of Health and Physical Educators and NHTSA have collaborated to create a new, free bicycle safety curriculum that physical education teachers and recreation specialists can use when working with students in grades 6-12. 

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration shows what could happen in just five seconds of texting while driving. 

This page compiles multiple research and evaluation projects conducted by NHTSA related to behaviors and attitudes in highway safety. The research presented focuses on the role of impaired driving in fatal crashes, and the prevention of alcohol and drug use by drivers. 

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration reminds drivers to take three seconds to wear their seat belts and experience all of life's three-second moments. 

When you send or receive a text, you take your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving blindfolded for the entire length of a football field. 

The National Center for Safe Routes to School assists states and communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bicycle to school. The National Center serves as the information clearinghouse for the federal Safe Routes to School program. The organization also provides technical support and resources and coordinates online registration efforts for U.S. Walk to School Day and facilitates worldwide promotion and participation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 to carry out safety programs previously administered by the National Highway Safety Bureau. Learn more about driving and vehicle safety, research in the area, and laws and regulations.

NHTSA has developed SaferRide, a new app that helps prevent drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel by allowing users to call a taxi or a pre-programmed friend instead. The app’s simple interface, and the fact that it pinpoints the user’s location, make it easy to use to get home safely. SaferRide is available on Google Play for Android devices, and Apple’s iTunes store for iOS devices.

A new campaign targeted to parents and caregivers of tweens aims to increase the proper use of seat belts among young people, ages 8-14. The goal of the campaign is to promote the development of good seat belt practices that will stay with them for life. 

Information and resources regarding school bus safety.

NHTSA collaborates with many criminal justice and community organizations to sponsor impaired driving campaigns such as Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest., Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk and Zero Tolerance Means Zero Chances. Contact the  organizations on this site to find local affiliates and impaired driving activities in your area.

Factsheet on teen drivers, including high-risk behaviors, recent statistics, and links to other resources.

The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration features information on its Parent Central website to help parents keep kids safe while they are on the road. 

Pedestrian Safer Journey has created videos for multiple age groups that can help teach young people about pedestrian and bike safety. Each video is accompanied by a quiz or discussion and resources for educators. Access materials on pedestrian safety for ages 10-14 and 15-18 and resources on bike safety for ages 10-14 and 15-18.

When you’re driving, all distractions, including texting, put you at risk for seriously hurting yourself or someone else. This video from Distraction.gov shows just how risky texting and driving can be. 

A new campaign from NHTSA, ”5 to Drive,” aims to encourage parents to have ongoing conversations with their teens about safe driving. “5 to Drive” references the five basic rules that parents should enforce with any young drivers.

Teens and Trucks, a program developed by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance, partnered with the Department of Transportation to create a curriculum that helps encourage teens not to use their cell phones while driving and to understand that trucks  and large commercial vehicles need to be treated differently than other cars on the road.