Deborah Hersman appears on “Chicago Tonight.”

For the last four years, Deborah Hersman has led the National Safety Council. Next month, she’ll join Google’s self-driving technology development company, Waymo. Why she’s making the move.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Sadie Colbert / Released)

Deaths from distracted driving are rising sharply. We talk with a transportation safety expert about what can be done to bring the number of fatalities down.

Prescription pain pills are dumped out on a table. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration / Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner)

The opioid epidemic in Illinois is more acute than in many other states, according to the National Safety Council. We discuss the crisis and a new memorial that highlights the human toll of opioid addiction.

Deborah Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, joins us to discuss her organization’s latest data and how Illinois can make its streets safer.

New technology lets police investigate whether drivers were using their cell phones moments before an accident. Could it curb texting while driving?

When Deborah Hersman was appointed to chair the National Transportation Safety Board by President Obama she became, at 39, the youngest person to ever fill that position. She recently left her job at the NTSB to head the Chicago-based National Safety Council.