In 2008 when the Nation experienced a large drop in fatalities from the year before, Tom Welch, the State Safety Engineer in Iowa at the time, commented there were 3,836 more people who made it home to Holiday Dinner. This perspective puts the focus of highway safety efforts where it should be – on the people. Those who have lost a family member or close friend in a crash know the hardest times are holiday dinners. The empty chair is a painful reminder of the loved one who used to join in the happiest moments of life. The contributors to this blog are members and friends of VHB's safety team. Our mission is to support our Federal, State, and local clients in their efforts to reduce crashes and the fatalities and injuries that result from those crashes on our Nation’s highways. In very real terms, our mission is to get more people home for holiday dinner every year. This blog is dedicated to that mission, less empty chairs at holiday dinners.
