Saver of lives retires

Max Young retires as director of the Office of Highway Safety

Max Young, Director of the Office of Highway Safety (OHS), a division of the S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS), is retiring after more than 35 years in state government and as a distinguished leader in highway safety.

Young is the longest serving director of the Office of Highway Safety, having led the division for more than 20 years. He has had an illustrious career and is recognized across the state and nation as an expert in his field. In addition, Young has won several state and national awards for his accomplishments during his tenure.

"It's been a distinct privilege for me to have worked with Max Young the past few years. With a career in highway safety that spans through four decades, I quickly learned that Mr. Young was a true expert in his field," said James Schweitzer, director of SCDPS. "It's a great feeling when someone can retire and reflect back on his career knowing what he's done has directly contributed to lives being saved. Max Young is definitely one of those individuals."

During his career, Young was instrumental in the development of several national award- winning highway safety campaigns implemented in South Carolina, including Click It or Ticket, Sober or Slammer, and Highways or Dieways.

When the Highways or Dieways campaign was being recognized with a host of awards during the late 1980s, Young said at the time, "It's important to remember the point of the campaign is to save lives, not win awards."

During the first phase of Highways or Dieways, the number of highway fatalities in the state dropped substantially.

To encourage safe driving from safety belt usage to the perils of impaired driving, Young engaged in a number of attention- grabbing efforts. While promoting the Highways or Dieways campaign, he traveled the state and conducted news conferences from atop billboards with the Highways or Dieways message.

In his position, he has also seen the state adopt a mandatory safety belt law - twice. In 1989, a law was passed requiring all drivers and front seat passengers to buckle up. That law was secondary, meaning it could only be enforced after a driver was stopped and ticketed for another violation. Then, in December 2005, a primary safety belt law was passed, meaning motorists could be stopped and fined if a law enforcement officer sees an unbuckled driver or passenger.

As director of OHS, Young led a team that administers grant- funding programs for state and local agencies and coordinates statewide safety campaigns. The office also houses the statewide traffic collision data and a law enforcement support services division, which, at the direction of Young, established the state's Law Enforcement Network system. Young also initiated the annual Memorial Service for Highway Fatality Victims, conducted by the OHS each year to remember people killed in traffic collisions.

Friends, colleagues and representatives from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gathered at the SCDPS headquarters this past week to honor Young for his many years of public service.

"It's a sad, but happy day for me," Young said. "I'm sad I'm leaving behind a career and wonderful people. But I'm happy because I'm looking forward to retirement, knowing that the important mission of highway safety will carry on."

OHS Assistant Director Phil Riley will succeed Young. Riley has worked with Young for several years and praised Young as a dedicated leader.

"Max Young has truly been an inspiration to myself and many others who work in highway safety. His passion for doing what he could to help prevent deaths and injuries on our highways is as strong today as it was when I first met him in 1993," Riley said. "It's my goal now to build on what Mr. Young has established, and to continue to seek new ways to get the motoring public to develop better driving habits. Fortunately, I've learned from the best."