January 19–26 marks National Passenger Safety Week , a campaign dedicated to empowering passengers to take an active role in road safety. With U.S. roadway deaths still at alarming levels, it’s clear that just telling drivers to “be safe” isn’t enough. Passengers can—and should—make a difference. Why It Matters In 2023, over 40,000 people died in traffic crashes , and nearly 24,000 were occupants of passenger vehicles (cars, SUVs, vans, pickups) . Alarmingly, almost half of t