Rusty Burris, Columbia, MO

On June 3rd, 1990, Rusty Burris fell asleep at the wheel only 90 seconds from home. Not wearing his seatbelt, he was ejected and paralyzed instantly. Rusty began working for ThinkFirst Missouri and ThinkFirst of the Ozarks in 1992, traveling to hundreds of schools and businesses statewide. The National Sleep Foundation learned about Rusty’s work with ThinkFirst and recruited him to become a national spokesperson on the issue of drowsy driving. In addition, the National Road Safety Foundation featured Rusty in the award-winning drowsy driving prevention video titled, “Almost Home.” 

Rusty has traveled to Washington DC to speak on behalf of the issue of drowsy driving and was featured on a panel discussion aired on C-SPAN. Rusty’s prevention work has been featured in the Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Parade Magazine, the T.V. show, “Extra-NBC New York,” and numerous additional outlets. Rusty contributes his expertise beyond the classroom by testifying at traffic safety legislative hearings at the Missouri State Capitol.