By Nicholas Worrell, Chief, NTSB Safety Advocacy
As Chief of the NTSB’s Safety Advocacy Division, I firmly believe in taking time to visit with young and novice drivers and promoting safe driving habits in line with the NTSB’s safety advocacy goals. Last week, I addressed students at Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) Annual Conference.
Each year, the conference features a visit by Corporate Round Table (CRT) members to a local high school. There, team members engage high school juniors and seniors, educating and empowering them to pursue professional development, foster individual strengths, and strive for excellence.
The NBCSL’s CRT has a rich history of working with schools across the country to provide high school students with essential insights and knowledge about careers and professional development. CRT members have long positively impacted the youth with whom they work. The theme for this year’s CRT visit was “L.E.A.D: Leadership, Excellence, Attitude, Determination.” Team members discussed the importance of leadership today, and the importance of cultivating leadership skills necessary to succeed tomorrow.
But, as I told the students at Stranahan High School, what’s most basic to all these aspirational goals is to live long enough to build that bright future for themselves and others.
My part in the presentation was to make the young audience aware of the many dangers and challenges they may face on the road, and to arm them with the right driving habits to actually arrive at adulthood. Just as youth must first make it safely to adulthood to have the chance to tackle the leadership challenges to which they aspire, they must also learn to lead themselves before they can successfully lead others. As John C. Maxwell once wrote, “A leader is one who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.” The first step in the leadership journey is self-leadership.
That goes double for making our roads a safer place for all.
In 2018, more than 36,000 people died in traffic crashes. For young people like those I talked to last week, the best chance to stay alive to adulthood is to not be involved in a traffic crash, either as a driver, passenger, pedestrian, cyclist, or motorcyclist. The deadly effect of traffic crashes on teenage lives will only change when our culture around road safety changes, and the only way that shift can take place is if we each personally embody the change we wish to see in the world.
Driving sober, disconnecting from our phones and other devices, buckling up, and obeying the speed limit are all simple—and safe—practices. However, making the right choice consistently takes integrity (doing the right thing even when nobody is watching). In road safety, knowing the way is not always the hard part. The ability to consistently go the way, and to show others the way, separates leaders from followers.
Holding ourselves accountable for our conduct on the road is the first step toward the cultural shift we need to ensure our nation’s youth make it to adulthood to fulfill their goals.
For previous blogs on the NBCSL school visits, see the links below:
https://safetycompass.wordpress.com/2017/12/08/inspiring-youth-safety-leaders/
https://safetycompass.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/looking-for-leaders/
NTSB Safety Compass Blog 