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NHTSA presents highway safety honor to Meridian officer

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently selected Meridian police Sgt. John Gonzales to receive its Award for Public Service.

The award recognizes Sgt. Gonzales’ efforts to make highways safer and his contributions to “significant progress in reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries.”

America is experiencing the lowest number of total highway fatalities since 1949, according to NHTSA’s David L. Strickland in a March 27 letter to Gonzales. The number of fatalities on the nation’s highways dropped 1.9 percent between 2010 and 2011. Extended to 2005, the overall decline is 26 percent of the 43,510 fatalities recorded. Seat belt use also has climbed to an all-time high of 86 percent nationwide, and alcohol-impaired driving deaths dropped by 2.5 percent in 2011, Gonzales said.

“While celebrating the progress we have made in recent years, we must remain focused on addressing traffic safety issues that continue to claim more than 32,000 lives each year. The years ahead will offer ongoing highway safety challenges, and we will be looking to you for continued leadership.

“Pease accept my personal thanks for work well done, your dedication to reducing deaths and injuries, and your commitment to keeping families safe on our roadways.”

Strickland invited the Meridian police officer to attend the NHTSA awards presentation at Lifesavers 2013 in Denver later this month.