Fred Zwonechek dedicated life to saving lives on Nebraska roadways

“Fred worked tirelessly in traffic safety helping improve safety for all travelers,” said Bill Kovarik, the current administrator. “He was instrumental in improving laws for seat belts, impaired driving, distracted driving, teen driver education, speeding and many more issues.”

Zwonechek retired in 2019 after 37 years leading the office. Under his leadership, alcohol-related traffic fatalities decreased by more than 70%, seat-belt usage soared to over 80% and total crashes dropped by 24%.

Eric Koeppe, president and chief executive officer of the National Safety Council in Nebraska, said in a 2019 World-Herald article that Zwonechek was keenly aware that every traffic fatality was a tragedy.

“Fred always pointed out that there were people behind the numbers,” Koeppe said when Zwonechek retired. “We’d talk a lot about (traffic) fatalities and the number of people injured. Fred would say, ‘There are families and friends behind those numbers. Victims that are hurting.’”

Zwonechek, 77, died suddenly at home in Lincoln on Oct. 28. A celebration of life will be held Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. at Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home at 4040 A St., Lincoln.

He was born Feb. 2, 1947 in Omaha and grew up in DeWitt, Nebraska. There he enjoyed trapping, served as a lifeguard in nearby Beatrice and mowed yards, setting a clear path for his committed working years ahead. After graduating from DeWitt High School in 1965, Zwonechek continued his education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1970.

Zwonechek, who never married, started with the Highway Safety Office in 1974 which at the time was part of the Department of Motor Vehicles. That office was later moved to the Nebraska Department of Roads which later became the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

He worked with numerous state and national organizations, including the Governors Highway Safety Association, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Safety Council of Nebraska, AAA, Nebraska State Patrol Foundation, Project Extra Mile and the Nebraska Sheriffs Association. Project Extra Mile is a statewide network of community partnerships in Nebraska that works to reduce alcohol-related traffic incidents.

Rhonda Lahm, director of the Nebraska Department of Vehicles, nominated Zwonechek in 2017 for the prestigious Martha Irwin Award for Lifetime Achievement in Highway Safety. She noted that Zwonechek’s four keys for safety were education, enforcement, engineering and emergency medical services.

Programs begun under Zwonechek’s tenure included drug recognition expertise, researching teen driving behaviors, standardized field sobriety training, motorcycle safety training, rumble bars on the state’s highways and interstates, distracted driving legislation, seat belt simulators, 24/7 monitoring of DUI offenders, drug courts, move-over legislation, interlock legislation, multi-state enforcement efforts, alcohol license compliance checks, dynamic messaging signs and safety grants for law enforcement.

“Fred has not only spent his professional career devoted to making the highways in Nebraska and around the country safer for everyone, it is his personal passion,” Lahm wrote. “It is an honor to work with him as a highway safety professional.”

Diane Ribbe, a former director of Project Extra Mile, and Linda Kearns, a former secretary at the Nebraska Highway Safety Office, worked together to write a memorial for Zwonechek that appears on the mortuary website.

“It goes without saying for people who knew or worked with him, but for those who simply happen upon these words, Fred was a man whose contribution to the world will outlive the sound of his frequent and deep laughter and his joyful spirit,” they wrote. “He began his highway safety work for the State of Nebraska in 1974 and became the administrator of the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety in 1981, honorably serving that agency and the people of Nebraska for 44 years. Under his leadership, alcohol-related traffic fatalities decreased by more than 70% and seat belt usage soared to over 80%, saving countless lives and sparing families the deep pain of senseless loss.”

Zwonechek’s main assets were the courage to pursue safety initiatives and the intelligence to ably administer them. Overall, he was just very good at what he did, according to friends and colleagues.

“He was kind. He worked hard. He was dogged in his vision to save lives. He didn’t dispense judgment on others (unless you were a policymaker with a substantially bad idea),” Ribbe and Kearns wrote. “He lived well, had a great laugh, and enjoyed auctions, collecting everything from fishing poles and lures to antique furniture, all while pursuing the next great classic car for his collection. To the countless friends, colleagues, and loved ones he leaves behind, you’re encouraged to carry Fred’s tenacity and joy of spirit with you.”

In retirement, Zwonechek spent more time working on his classic car collection and fishing. He also continued to work on traffic safety issues, Kearns said.

“I know that he was working with other states writing traffic safety reports,” she said. “His goal was always to save lives and that was what was so special about Fred.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Eric Koeppe.