April 25, 2003

The national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as well as the president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will be featured keynote speakers at this year’s annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit, April 29-30, at the Amway Grand Plaza.

Wendy Hamilton, MADD president, will be the opening session speaker at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, where she will outline MADD’s eight-point plan for reducing alcohol-related deaths and injuries. Brian O’Neill, president of IIHS, starts the second day of the conference with an 8:30 a.m. general session Wednesday describing the Institute’s famous crash-testing program and focusing on ways to achieve higher safety belt use.

Nearly 400 people are expected at the eighth annual event, which brings together law enforcement, traffic engineers, health care professionals and traffic safety partners.

As the new MADD national president, Hamilton’s agenda includes expanding the organization's membership and reach to diverse communities and reducing alcohol-related traffic deaths and injuries by inspiring the public to "Get MADD All Over Again." On the national level, MADD is promoting victim issues and victim services; furthering initiatives to pass drunk driving legislation; and raising awareness about new research on the impact of underage drinking.

O’Neill is a highway safety expert consulted frequently by both print and electronic media reporters. He appears regularly on NBC Dateline and other TV news magazine shows, as well as network news programs. O’Neill also planned and now directs the Institute’s state-of-the-art Vehicle Research Center.

In addition to the keynote general session speakers, conference sessions will focus on a variety of topics, including school bus safety. That session will cover the issue of safety belts on buses, Michigan’s school bus stop law and the recent school bus crash in Monroe Township that occurred in 2002. A three-person teen panel on Wednesday will discuss strategies to combat underage drinking.

The conference will conclude on Wednesday with the presentation of traffic safety awards by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission.

Read more press releases from Michigan State Police.