The State Traffic Commission, established by the legislature in 1936 (Chapter 910), was New York State's first agency with traffic safety responsibilities, but its main responsibilities related to traffic engineering and traffic control. The first State agency responsible solely for traffic safety was the Traffic Safety Policy Coordination Committee, established by an executive order of May 4, 1957, to advise the governor and coordinate State traffic safety efforts. In response to the increasing number of traffic-related deaths, in 1959 Governor Rockefeller ordered the creation of an Interdepartmental Traffic Safety Committee to recommend ways to improve highway safety and reduce the number of accidents. Twelve State agencies with traffic safety interests were members of the committee, among them the Department of Motor Vehicles, Division of State Police, Department of Public Works (later the Department of Transportation), State Traffic Commission, and State Thruway Authority. The committee conducted several major studies, including one on traffic accident records and reporting (1961) that proved to be a model for the nation. To expedite its work, the committee set up a steering committee in 1963 comprised of representatives of the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Health, Education Department, Division of State Police, and Department of Public Works. The steering committee met regularly, supported traffic legislation, and annually recommended a Governor's Traffic Safety Program. The Federal Highway Safety Act of 1966 required states to establish ongoing highway safety programs with ultimate responsibility for program administration to rest with the governor of each state. New York State passed enabling legislation in 1967 (Chapter 620), establishing a statewide highway safety program to integrate and coordinate safety efforts and giving the governor responsibility for the program. An executive order promulgated on the same day (Executive Order 22, April 27, 1967) reestablished the Interdepartmental Traffic Safety Committee, designating it as the agency to administer the State's highway safety program. Called the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee since 1980, the committee currently consists of the commissioner of motor vehicles as chair and the heads of other State agencies with traffic concerns: the State Education Department, the Department of Health, the Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the Division of Criminal Justice Services, the Division of State Police, the Insurance Department, the Thruway Authority, the Department of Transportation, the Department of State, the Division of Substance Abuse Services, the Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives, and the State Liquor Authority.
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The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee protects and educates citizens by conducting New York State's highway safety program to reduce traffic accidents and the resultant deaths, injuries, and property damage. It carries out this responsibility by providing for comprehensive driver-training programs, including school driver education programs; training and certification of qualified school instructors; appropriate regulation of other driver training schools, including licensing of the schools and certification of their instructors; adult driver training and retraining programs; adequate research, development, and procurement of practice-driving facilities, simulators, and other teaching aids for school and other driver-training use; and coordination and approval of highway safety programs of State, local, and other public and private agencies and of individuals and organizations. The committee acts as the State's official liaison with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration in carrying out provisions of the Federal Highway Safety Act of 1966.
Federal Highway Safety Act of 1966; L. 1936, Ch. 910; L. 1967, Ch. 620; Executive Order 22, 1967.
