August 2025

Summaries of timely road safety news, events, and alerts

Message from NETS' Executive Director,

Susan Hipp

The 2025 NETS Strength IN Numbers® Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference is just around the corner and this year’s agenda is packed with fresh perspectives, practical strategies, and opportunities you won’t want to miss.

Join us October 6–9 in Minneapolis for a dynamic week of learning, networking, and actionable insights to advance fleet safety.

We’ll kick things off on Monday, October 6 with a casual networking happy hour, followed by a full day on Tuesday, October 7 featuring pre-conference Sector Meetings (open to all attendees), optional professional development seminars, and our Road Safety Achievement Award Dinner honoring excellence and innovation across the industry.

The main conference takes place Wednesday and Thursday, October 8–9, with two full days of:

A review of NETS annual benchmark results
Case studies and insights from national safety leaders
An interactive mock trial panel
Interactive sessions including a vehicle display, new fleet safety technology demonstrations, and networking round-table discussions

You’ll also hear from NETS valued fleet safety sponsors as they walk through real-world fleet safety challenges and how they solved them together with a NETS member client offering practical takeaways you can apply within your own organization.

What makes this conference unique is its singular focus on fleet safety and the community of employers and experts committed to advancing it.

Breakout tracks will dive into key topics like grey fleet oversight, global fleet safety challenges, a best-in-class driver safety training program, and ergonomic safe driving best practices. With small group networking, peer-to-peer discussions, and access to the latest safety tools and trends, this is the must-attend fleet safety event of the year.

The full agenda will be released soon, but registration is open now, so don’t wait to secure your spot!

Safe driving!

Susan Hipp

Executive Director

https://trafficsafety.org

NETS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Join us for the

NETS 2025 Strength IN Numbers^®

Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference!

Where fleet safety isn't just a track-

It's the whole conference!

October 6-9, 2025

Minneapolis, MN

Reserve Hotel Room

Special Hotel Rates Starting at $259++

Don't Miss the Hotel Cutoff Date of September 9, Reserve Today!!

August 29 is the Last Day to Nominate for Road Safety Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2025 NETS Road Safety Achievement Award*- awarded to a NETS member company and/or a NETS member company employee for advancing road safety. Nominations must be submitted using our form by August 29, 2025.

We invite you to nominate a fleet leader or leaders to recognize outstanding achievement in:

Overall Road Safety Achievement: fleet of any size
Small Fleet Road Safety Achievement: fleets with fewer than 100 vehicles
International Fleet Road Safety Achievement: fleet outside of the United States
Women in Fleet: female fleet leader

*NETS Sponsor companies are not eligible, but are encouraged to submit a NETS member company with whom they partner.

2025 NETS Strength IN Numbers^®

Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference

October 6-9 in Minneapolis, MN

Learn More: Award Nominations

NETS SPONSORS

NETS is proud to partner with the following PLATINUM Fleet Safety Sponsors:

Learn about all of NETS Fleet Safety Sponsors

LATEST ROAD SAFETY NEWS

Why Rural and Urban Areas Face Different Road Safety Risks

Rural drivers tend to engage in higher-risk behaviors, while urban drivers often display more aggressive violations—these behavioral contrasts help explain why crash outcomes and safety needs vary between communities, even beyond differences in infrastructure and response times.

The Hidden Dangers on the Road: Why Motorcycle Accidents Are Spiking

A shadow is growing on America's highways. In an era of advanced vehicle safety features, motorcycle fatalities have soared to their highest levels since 1975, sounding alarm bells for safety advocates and legal experts nationwide. According to NHTSA, 6,335 motorcyclists died in 2023, the highest number recorded since 1975.

WORKPLACE / HOME ROAD SAFETY

Why You Should Take a 15-Minute Nap Right After You Drink Coffee, According to Science

Combining a short nap with caffeine, commonly known as a “coffee nap”, can significantly boost alertness and performance compared to either strategy alone. In a study using a driving simulator, participants who drank about 200 mg of caffeine immediately before a 15-minute nap reduced driving incidents to just 9% of those seen in a placebo group—better than the 34% rate seen with caffeine alone.

Why Road Crash Data Matter

Reliable crash data, paired with stronger systems, form the backbone of safer road policies. This is being demonstrated through collaborations such as Honda’s work with Healthy People Rwanda on motorcycle safety, offering real-world lessons that highlight scalable solutions for future UNRSF-funded projects grounded in the Safe System approach.

Helsinki's Year of Zero Road Fatalities

Helsinki achieved a remarkable milestone—recording zero traffic-related fatalities over the past year—thanks to its long-standing Vision Zero strategy, which emphasizes responsibility on system designers rather than road users.

First Country in the World Sets Maximum Driving Age

Peru has become the first country in the world to set a firm maximum driving age—drivers over 80 can no longer renew their license—and those aged 70 to 80 must undergo regular medical exams to remain eligible for renewal. This new regulation is aimed at reducing crashes linked to age‑related declines in vision, reflexes, and mobility.

UPCOMING TRANSPORTATION SAFETY EVENTS

AND CAMPAIGNS

Sept. 21 - 27 Child Passenger Safety Week

Keeping children safe while traveling is a top priority for parents and caregivers, and often parents seek out information regarding car seat safety. Material created for this campaign covers topics every step of the way — from purchasing the correct car seat according to a child’s weight and height, to properly installing it, and when to move them to the next type of seat. For materials and graphics, visit: www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov

May 1 - Sept. 30 Heatstroke Prevention

Nearly every state in the United States has been affected by a pediatric vehicular heatstroke death. Use this campaign material to help educate parents and caregivers about the dangers of hot cars, including children getting trapped in an unlocked vehicle, being forgotten or mistakenly left, or purposely left. Material also includes safety information for bystanders to safely remove a child from a hot car. For materials and graphics, visit: trafficsafetymarketing.gov

NETS has additional child vehicular heatstroke prevention resources for employers at: Child Vehicular Heatstroke for Employers – Network of Employers for Traffic Safety

October is Pedestrian Safety Month

At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian, which is why pedestrian safety is an essential part of every highway safety communications plan. Below you’ll find messaging on how drivers can keep pedestrians safe and how pedestrians can stay safe. For materials and grahics, visit: www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov

Do you have a particularly successful road safety example to share? NETS Members are encouraged to share best practices, ask questions or contribute their expertise to the NETS Road Safety Leaders Forum, an online discussion forum exclusively for NETS Members and Sponsors. Not yet a member? Check out the benefits at https://trafficsafety.org/membership-info/.

Note from the editor:

All links to stories have been tested and are active 24 hours prior to distribution; however, links may become inactive over time at the discretion of the publication source.

About NETSWork®

NETSWork is published electronically each month by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety.

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