BAKER AWARDS RECOGNIZE TRAFFIC SAFETY EFFORTS |
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NHTSA
October 30, 1997
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NHTSA 57-97
Thursday, October 30, 1997
Contact: Tim Hurd
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550
Law enforcement officers from the Hoffman Estates (Ill.) Police Department and the California Highway Patrol are among three persons recognized for their contributions to highway safety by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Northwestern University Traffic Institute.
NHTSA's Director of the Office of Traffic Injury Control Programs, Marilena Amoni, presented each of the winners a J. Stannard Baker Award at the Division of State and Provincial Police meeting at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Orlando, Fla.
"Safety is President Clinton's highest transportation priority, and enforcement is the backbone of traffic safety. The best laws in the world prevent no crashes or injuries if they are not backed up by highly visible and effective enforcement," Amoni said.
An IACP panel selected the award winners. They are:
Lieutenant Steve Casstevens, Hoffman Estates Police Department, was recognized with the J. Stannard Baker Award for his 18 years of work in developing and administering outstanding traffic safety programs, including the Operation Kids curriculum. As a result of his efforts, the Hoffman Estates Police Department's traffic safety program has become a model for similar agencies around the country.
Lieutenant Dwight Goggans, California Highway Patrol, was also a recipient of this prestigious award. He has distinguished himself throughout his self-initiated analysis of motor vehicle crash problems is his command area which resulted in his formation of two groups to address the problem. As a direct result of his efforts, San Luis Obispo county experienced a 79 percent reduction in traffic fatalities and a 48 percent reduction in injury crashes between 1995 -1996.
The J. Stannard Baker Award to a private individual was presented to William H. Franey of Alexandria, Va., who was nominated for his decades of dedicated effort to improve the quality of life of the nation's motorists. Among his accomplishments was his 10 years service with the President's Committee on Traffic Safety and his participation in drafting of the Highway Safety Act and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966.
The awards are named to honor J. Stannard Baker, often considered the "Father of Traffic Safety." Baker was Director of Research and Development for the Northwestern University Traffic Institute from 1946 to 1971, and the world's foremost authority on traffic accident investigation. Baker died on June 12, 1995, only a few weeks short of his 96th birthday. He saw the J. Stannard Baker Award established in 1985.
The awards are presented annually by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Northwestern University Traffic Institute to recognize individual law enforcement officers for significant contributions to highway safety.