Passenger Safety Week runs through Jan.19 through Jan. 21

Salisbury, Md. –  Monday marked the start of National Passenger Safety Week, which is an initiative by the National Road Safety Foundation and We Save Lives to raise awareness for how passengers can speak up for their well-being. Other organizations involved in raising awareness for this year’s campaign include Teens in the Drivers Seat, The Gweedo Memorial Foundation, Impact Teen Drivers, the Keifer Memorial Foundation and FCCLA.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, passengers accounted for 24 percent of passenger vehicle fatalities nationwide in 2023.

Tammy McGee, the founder of The Gweedo Memorial Foundation and a safety partner with the National Road Safety Foundation, said the campaign is meant to empower passengers to speak up when their lives are in danger due to dangerous driving. She told WMDT that if passengers feel unsafe, to tell their driver or if they feel unsafe communicating that sentiment to “get creative” and try to find ways to slow them down, like pointing out police or speeding cameras. However, if the driving is extremely dangerous, they may have to report it to authorities.

Dangerous driving can include not wearing seat belts, driving while impaired from alcohol or other substances, speeding or driving distracted.

McGee said teenagers are especially at risk. She founded The Gweedo Memorial Foundation after losing her teenage son in a car crash while in the car with a speeding driver.