NATIONAL STUDENT SAFETY PROGRAM (NSSP)

Join NSSP

NSSP is the youth group of the ADTSEA. The group encourages and assists students as they initiate and implement safety activities within their schools and communities. NSSP fosters the awareness that there is a problem on our nation's highways and students have the power to unite against the growing highway fatalities. View the NSSP Handbook.

Any youth group, student council, or committee of a high school, district, county, or state can join NSSP. By becoming a member, you get the opportunity to exchange ideas about traffic safety awareness with other members, participate in the awards programs, attend the annual teen leadership conference, access resource materials, and receive training and technical assistance.

Email ADTSEA to join today

Leadership

NSSP is student driven and student led. Activities are coordinated by the ADTSEA staff. The NSSP leadership team is comprised of:

NSSP LIAISON

The NSSP Liaison is appointed each year by the current ADTSEA President with the approval of the ADTSEA Board of Directors. The liaison oversees the conference program planning and implementation. The liaison coordinates the use of any facilities, activity materials and printing, audio-visual needs, attendance of NSSP participants at any ADTSEA program or event, meals or refreshments, lodging for any special guests, and distribution of conference materials.

NSSP CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

The NSSP Conference Committee is comprised of seven individuals (the liaison, ADTSEA Executive Director, and five additional members). The members are selected by the liaison and serve with the approval of the ADTSEA President and Board of Directors. These individuals are responsible for but not limited to such program components as: registration, general sessions, presenters, guest speakers, teen presentations, judging and awards, awards ceremony, exhibits, social activities, banquet, and evaluations.

History

The National Student Traffic Safety Program (NSTSP) was created in 1956 by the National Commission on Safety Education (NCSE), which was a part of the National Education Association (NEA). Membership in the program was free and schools could just sign up and become members. The program was underwritten by the NCSE and supported by private sector funds. During this period 11,000 schools became members.

In 1970, with the passage of the OSHA laws and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's motor vehicle safety laws, the NCSE was dismantled and ADTSEA, which was also a part of NEA, assumed leadership of the program. The word traffic was dropped from the name and the organization became the National Student Safety Program (NSSP). In 1974, the NEA was reorganized and dropped safety from their program. Therefore, ADTSEA severed its ties with NEA to become an independent association.

NSSP was reorganized to assure acceptance of the program in the nation's secondary schools. ADTSEA secured the stamp of approval from the National Association of Secondary School Principals as a recommended program. All secondary schools in the nation are eligible to become members simply by submitting a request to ADTSEA.

Junior and senior high school students are bright, energetic, and filled with new ideas. NSSP is the vehicle they use to pull together these ideas to conduct local projects that will help reduce death and injury on our nations highways. Today's youth are looking for organizations to whom they can belong and through whom they can work to make their voices heard. The only thing the NSSP is lacking is full-time leadership and resources from the national level.