The Auto Glass Safety Council has been designated a “2021 Highway Safety Champion” by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). AGSC is working with GHSA, comprised of lead Highway Safety officials in each state government, to improve windshield safety and reduce the impact of automobile crashes.
AGSC participated in the GHSA 2021 Annual Meeting “Moving Mountains: Forging a New Traffic Safety Landscape” in Denver, Colorado on September 11-15. Representing AGSC at the conference was board member and ADAS committee chair Jacques Navant and Public Affairs Director Seth Maiman.
The keynote speech was delivered by Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. Chair Homendy pleaded that the “carnage on the road has to stop” and urged that zero traffic deaths was attainable. She advocated for a “Safe System Approach” that seeks to design, build, and maintain a transportation system that promotes safe road user behaviors and protects all road users from physical harm. All stakeholders in this system are responsible for reducing crashes and the harm they cause – even when road users make mistakes.
The conference also held informative workshops on topics such as Building Partnerships and Projects with State Highway Safety Offices and the upcoming Federal Transportation Reauthorization legislation.
Participation at the conference allowed representatives from AGSC to meet with state Highway Safety officials from around the nation including those from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration which recently issued proposed regulations for that state’s new Safety Glass Replacement law and standards, which will be based on AGSC’s Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS). The regulations were required by the state law enacted earlier this year and must “meet or exceed” the AGRSS. AGSC is working toward the introduction of similar legislation in other states.
AGSC also met with other policy officials from insurance companies and industry and advocacy groups to promote windshield safety and to gather information and support for future efforts.