Former Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole honored at National Safety Congress
ISHN Editor Dave Johnson reporting from NSC Congress & Expo
The National Safety Council has recognized the Honorable Elizabeth Dole with the Council’s Flame of Life Award as one of the century’s foremost leaders in safety. The award, which recognizes significant lifesaving contributions to safety, has only been awarded three times. Dole’s leadership of safety initiatives throughout every stage of her career makes her a giant in the history of safety.
As Secretary of Transportation from 1983-1987, she influenced President Reagan and Congress to enact the 21-year old drinking age. Passage of this uniform drinking age eliminated "blood borders" where young people were killed or gravely injured returning from a neighbor state with a lower drinking age. At virtually the same time, she issued a landmark regulation which resulted in widespread enactment of state safety belt laws and air bags in all cars. Not a single state at the time had passed a safety belt law, usage was 13%, and air bags were virtually non-existent. These three actions have saved nearly 400,000 lives to date with an estimated 20,000 lives saved each coming year.