Leadership Quote by Jane D. Hull

“Safety on our highways has improved significantly, with the help of the Legislature and the media” is the kind of line a politician delivers while quietly crediting every audience segment that can make her life easier. On the surface, it’s a victory lap about fewer crashes and smarter policy. Underneath, it’s coalition maintenance: lawmakers get praised for “doing something,” and the media gets a rare pat on the head in exchange for continuing to amplify the message.

The phrasing is carefully engineered. “Improved significantly” signals measurable progress without getting trapped in numbers that opponents can nitpick. It also frames safety as a shared civic achievement rather than a partisan project, which matters in an arena where seat belts, speed limits, DUI enforcement, and infrastructure spending can all become ideological fights. By naming “the Legislature,” Hull ties the outcome to institutional legitimacy: safety didn’t happen by accident; it happened through governance. By adding “the media,” she acknowledges the less flattering truth of public policy: compliance is often a communications problem. Laws don’t save lives if people don’t change behavior, and behavior doesn’t change without repetition, fear, social pressure, and a steady drip of headlines, PSAs, and local news storytelling.

Contextually, Hull governed in a period when states leaned hard on traffic enforcement, public-awareness campaigns, and incremental reforms rather than sweeping transportation overhauls. The line works because it’s flattering and disarming at once: it converts regulators and reporters into partners, nudging both to keep playing their roles while she keeps ownership of the outcome without explicitly claiming it.