NHTSA Event | Guest Bios

Latest Event

Put the Phone Away or Pay Kickoff Event

April 7, 2025

Lieutenant Maurice Raines

Deputy Director of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety

Maurice Raines is the deputy director of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and a lieutenant for the Georgia State Patrol. Raines is an integral part of Georgia’s traffic safety awareness campaigns and routinely works with sheriffs and police chiefs across the state to address traffic safety. 

Previously, Raines spent six years as post commander at Georgia State Patrol’s LaGrange post. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 2019.
 

Meredith Spies

Impact speaker

Meredith Spies has committed herself to the fight against distracted driving in memory of her mother, Karen Giles — a dedicated firefighter and EMT who served Virginia communities for more than 30 years. Karen's life was tragically cut short by a driver who was texting while operating a dump truck. Meredith’s loss has fueled her passion for change, leading her to partner with Drive Smart Virginia in advocating for safer roads. Through their efforts and the brave testimonies of other distracted-driving survivor families, Virginia’s “hands-free” law was passed in 2020. Meredith, along with the driver of the truck that killed her mother, continues to raise awareness and push for stronger protections to prevent other families from experiencing the same heartbreak.