Susan Auriemma
May 13, 2015
Susan Auriemma
Award: HONORING WOMEN IN NEW YORK
Year: 2015
Susan Auriemma is a devoted mother who suffered a near-tragedy, leading her to become a tireless and passionate advocate for child safety.
Ms. Auriemma’s life was forever changed when she was backing her sport utility vehicle up a driveway and her youngest daughter ran out of the house. Ms. Auriemma was unable to see her daughter behind her, and struck her. Her daughter survived with only minor injuries, but Ms. Auriemma was so shaken that she began to immerse herself in advocacy to help save lives and protect other families.
What started with a letter to her local community newspaper grew into Ms. Auriemma becoming a national safety advocate. She has appeared on television and has traveled across the nation to tell her story and discuss steps drivers can take to prevent back-over tragedies. Ms. Auriemma has worked with other families and KidsAndCars.org – a national nonprofit child safety organization dedicated to preventing child motor vehicle injuries and death. Their work resulted in the passage of a federal law which will establish rearview cameras as standard equipment on all cars by 2018. Ms. Auriemma now serves as a Vice-President with KidsAndCars.org, providing public education, raising awareness about backovers and non-crash incidents and working with survivor advocate families.
Locally, Ms. Auriemma co-chaired the Coalition for a Safer Manhasset, an organization to improve safety for pedestrians and drivers through the Manhasset business district. The Coalition has worked to enhance safety along Plandome Road and encourage drivers and pedestrians to be more safety conscious. Ms. Auriemma also served as a Trustee for the Village of Munsey Park and is involved with numerous local community organizations.
In recognition of her efforts, Ms. Auriemma was named an “Exceptional Mother of Inspiration” by KidsAndCars.org and was inducted into the Town of North Hempstead’s May W. Newburger Women’s Roll of Honor.
Ms. Auriemma resides in Manhasset, and is the proud mother of three children – Julia, Ben and Kate.