Press Release - 08-23-2019

GTSC News banner

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 23, 2019
Contacts:
Lisa Koumjian
[email protected]
Tim O’Brien
[email protected]

 

GTSC LEADER NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) congratulate GTSC Assistant Commissioner Chuck DeWeese for being nationally recognized for his commitment to improving highway safety. This week, DeWeese received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Highway Safety Administration from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). The award is presented to a distinguished individual in recognition of his or her commitment to and accomplishments in highway safety over the course of his or her career.

DMV Commissioner and GTSC Chair Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “Chuck works tirelessly to help save lives and make our roadways as safe as possible. He has earned the respect and gratitude of his peers here in New York and throughout the country. Everyone at DMV and GTSC is tremendously proud of Chuck and extremely pleased to see him receive this national honor that he very much deserves. On behalf of all of us, congratulations Chuck!”

“Chuck DeWeese has devoted his career to making highways safe for all roadway users,” said AAMVA President and CEO Anne Ferro. “He is a well-respected leader, both locally and nationally, and a dedicated advocate in reducing fatalities and serious injuries on his state’s roadways and across the nation. He has put New York State at the forefront of transportation safety innovation.”

DeWeese began his career in highway safety in 1992 as a special agent at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), where he conducted safety investigations on poor-performing truck and bus carriers and worked with U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) legal advisers to remove non-compliant carriers from roadways. He was subsequently promoted to acting division administrator, where he led criminal investigations and spearheaded a multi-agency effort to reduce commercial motor vehicle crashes, leading to his lifelong passion for saving lives on highways.

In 2007, DeWeese was hired as the Assistant Commissioner of GTSC. Since then, he has been the driving force behind the Committee’s most nationally-recognized and effective traffic safety campaigns and programs, including establishing the state’s Impaired Driving Advisory Council; developing the Distracted Driving Enforcement campaign; and being a key partner in the state’s award-winning Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, an ambitious collaboration among the State’s departments of Health and Transportation and the GTSC.

In addition, DeWeese chairs New York State’s Traffic Records Coordinating Council, serves as a Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) regional representative, and as Chair of the Federal Relations Committee which is the liaison between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and GHSA.

For more information about GTSC, visit safeny.ny.gov, or follow the GTSC on social media on Facebook and Twitter.

To learn more about the NYS DMV, visit dmv.ny.gov, or follow the DMV on social media on Facebook and Twitter.

###