Statement of
Jacqueline S. Gillan, Vice President
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates)
March 9, 2005

ADVOCATES APPLAUDS CONGRESSIONAL REJECTIONS OF ANTI-TRUCK SAFETY AMENDMENTS TO SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BILL

Rep. Boozman (R-AR) Withdraws Amendment Extending
Workday to 16 Hours for Truck Drivers
and
House Defeats Rep. Conaway (R-TX) Amendment Giving Broad Hours of Service Exemption to Truck Drivers in the Oil and Gas Industries

The U.S. House of Representatives today stood up for the nation's truck drivers and motorists by rejecting dangerous amendments to H.R.3, the Transportation Equity Act, A Legacy for Users.

The first amendment sponsored by Rep. Boozman (R-AR) was withdrawn in the face of strong opposition from consumer, health, and safety groups and truck crash survivors. Truck driver fatigue is a deadly problem in the trucking industry. It doesn't make sense to add two more hours onto the already excessive 14-hour shift currently permitted for truck drivers. I hope that the strong and vocal opposition of truck crash survivors, truck drivers and truck safety groups is a wake-up call to Members of Congress and the retail industry that our roads are dangerous enough without these safety roll backs. The so-called "Wal-Mart amendment," named after the Arkansas-based chain store supporting the change, was withdrawn by its sponsor after brief debate on the House floor.

The second hours of service amendment, sponsored by Rep. Conaway (R-TX), was defeated by a vote of 226 to 198. The amendment would have removed gas and oil drivers from all hours of service limits, and would have allowed hazardous materials to be transported without any federal controls over driver working, driving, and rest time.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) congratulates Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and other leaders in Congress for stopping these special interest proposals. Lou Harris public opinion polls for Advocates consistently show overwhelming support for limiting time behind the wheel for truck drivers, as well as concern about fatigued driving. Today, 85% of America On Line (AOL) subscribers responded negatively to a poll question asking whether a 16-hour day was justified for truck drivers.

Big rigs being driven by tired truckers are preventable crashes waiting to happen. We hope that other sectors of the trucking industry seeking special interest provisions that jeopardize safety will listen to the American public and give it a rest.

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), an alliance of consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America's roads safer, is actively involved at the federal and state levels to reduce the terrible tragedy of crashes to families across the nation.

STATEMENT OF JACKIE GILLAN, VICE PRESIDENT
ADVOCATES FOR HIGHWAY AND AUTO SAFETY (ADVOCATES)
ON
TODAY'S SENATE ACTION BY THE COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE TO ADOPT A HIGHWAY, AUTO AND TRUCK SAFETY BILL

April 14, 2005

Today's bi-partisan adoption by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee of a strong highway, auto and truck safety bill is a critical step toward bringing down deaths and injuries on our highways and a victory for every American family. Because of the leadership and commitment of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), "safety" has been added to the SAFETEA transportation funding legislation that is moving through the Senate. The legislation that these leaders proposed and guided through mark-up establishes an important, commonsense safety agenda that will save thousands of lives, prevent millions of disabling injuries and save American taxpayers billions of dollars in health care, medical and other social costs. It is a life-saving antidote to the public health crisis we face year in and year out because of highway deaths and injuries.

Unfortunately, when it comes to highway deaths and injuries we are stuck in neutral. Every year nearly 43,000 people are killed and 3 million more injured on our neighborhood streets and roads because of motor vehicle crashes. The human and economic costs are staggering - more than $230 Billion annually resulting in a "crash tax" of about $800 for every person in the United States. Highway crashes continue to be the leading killer of children, teens and adults up to age 33 and the major cause of brain injury, epilepsy and on-the-job deaths and injuries.

Advocates commends Sen. Stevens, Sen. Lott and Sen. Inouye for addressing all aspects of the highway safety problem in a balanced fashion. Provisions in the legislation will help combat drunk driving, encourage seat belt use, and advance state child booster seat laws. Other critical provisions set an agenda for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to move forward on long-overdue rules to prevent vehicle rollover and occupant ejection, strengthen roof crush resistance, require child safe power windows, and improve consumer information on new vehicles. NHTSA also will be required to evaluate technologies to eliminate rear blind spots resulting in tragic backover deaths and injuries to small children and others. In the past ten years more than 125,000 people have died in rollover crashes and the legislation directs NHTSA actions to address this vehicle safety problem.

The Committee leaders also addressed the growing problem of large truck crashes that result in nearly 5,000 deaths annually and more than 120,000 injuries. The legislation passed today requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to improve licensing procedures for commercial drivers, increase penalties for unsafe drivers and unfit motor carriers, and move toward completion of many safety regulations that have been languishing at the agency for years. The Commerce Committee also rejected a proposal by FMCSA to put into statute the new hours of service rule that was vacated by a unanimous Court of Appeals ruling last year because it did not protect the health of truck drivers.

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), an alliance of consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America's roads safer, is actively involved at the federal and state levels to reduce the terrible tragedy of crashes to families across the nation.

Statement of Judith Lee Stone, President
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
on the release of the
2004 Projections for Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and Injuries
April 21, 2005

Today's release of projected 2004 highway fatalities is bad news for the American public. SUV rollover fatalities are up, motorcyclists are dying in record numbers and truck deaths continue to grow. It's time for action and American families are dying for solutions.

Overall, 157 more people are estimated to have died on the nation's highways in 2004, compared to 2003 (42,800 vs. 42,643.)

Despite major efforts to increase seat belt use across the nation, the number of people dying unrestrained in crashes in 2004 remains the same as 2003 (more than half of those killed.)

Deaths in large truck crashes also rose for the second year in a row, to 5,169 (2003 fatalities were 4,986.) There was a large jump (13%) in truck occupant deaths in multiple vehicle crashes. Still, the great majority of truck-related deaths occur among occupants of other-than-truck vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Motorcycle fatalities continue to increase, with an additional 391 motorcyclists projected to have died in 2004 over 2003. Nearly 4000 motorcycling deaths occurred in 2004, a more than 85% increase since 1997. Yet anti-helmet forces continue to push their motorcycle helmet use law repeal agenda in state legislatures, with some success.

111 more people were killed in crashes involving young drivers ages 16-20: 8,566 in 2004 vs. 8,455 in 2003.

The U.S. Department of Transportation disguises real-world facts by hiding behind the fatality rate, which masks the number of fatalities. The government wants us to believe that even though more family members and friends are projected to have been killed in crashes last year, things are really getting better because we spent more time driving. The cold hard reality is that we are stuck in neutral. Annual deaths due to motor vehicle crashes have fluctuated between 42,000 and 43,000 for a decade, and any reductions achieved are slight. People are needlessly dying because commonsense laws languish in state legislatures and the federal government is painfully slow in issuing overdue regulations to make our cars safer. It is time to reverse these trends.

Hope is on the way. Congress is now considering legislation that will address many of these safety problems, particularly rollover deaths in SUVs, by directing federal government action. It is time for the Administration to drop their objections and for Congress to enact this legislation that will ensure safer cars and safer highways for American families.

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), an alliance of consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America's roads safer, is actively involved at the federal and state levels to reduce the terrible tragedy of crashes to families across the nation.

Cromwell, Connecticut -- Following is a statement from Judie Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, in support of S.795, the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2005 (STANDUP), sponsored by Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Senator John Warner (R-VA):

Good morning, my name is Judie Stone. I am president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), which is a coalition of consumer, medical, safety and insurance organizations working together on a broad range of highway and auto safety public policies that lead to fewer deaths and injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes.

I am pleased to be here today in support of the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection, or STANDUP Act of 2005, sponsored by Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Senator John Warner (R-VA). The STANDUP Act will help us all make important improvements to the many teen driving programs that exist across the nation, and to create a more uniform national system to save lives of beginning drivers and others involved in crashes with them. Although most states have some provisions of a graduated driver licensing (GDL) system, the nation is really a patchwork quilt of laws, no state has the optimum program, and millions of teens are at risk every year because of weak or incomplete graduated driver licensing laws.

Two weeks ago the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released preliminary data on 2004 motor vehicle fatalities and injuries, and the news was not good. Overall highway deaths increased from 2003. There was over a 1.3% jump in fatalities involving young drivers ages 16 to 20. Imagine, there were 8,566 people killed throughout the nation in motor vehicle crashes involving young drivers. That is about three (3) times the number of children under 20 in Cromwell, or the entire population of Old Lyme, Connecticut, in just one year.

Every major community in the United States has an understanding of the urgent need for action to curtail the growing number of needless tragedies among beginning teen drivers. One life lost to a motor vehicle crash is a tragedy; thousands lost each year, especially in this age range of 16 -20 years old, is a raging public health epidemic.

The Dodd/Warner STANDUP Act takes a firm, caring and proven approach to this problem, by first providing incentive grants to states that meet certain key criteria, then after three years by withholding a small amount of the state's federal highway construction funds until they do meet minimum requirements. This so-called "sanction" provision is really a win-win for all. States benefit from the incentive grants, and are compelled to adopt the law's minimum requirements because they don't want to lose highway money. Laws are passed, the state gains and saves money for more good works, and lives are ultimately saved.

This approach has resulted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia having a 21 legal minimum drinking age, all 50 states and the District of Columbia lowering their legal blood alcohol content laws to .08%, and all states having uniform teen drinking and driving laws. Literally thousands of people are alive today because of these three laws alone.

All states have these essential laws, all states are saving thousands of lives each year, and no state lost a single dollar of federal highway construction money. It makes no sense for teens driving in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey or Massachusetts to have a different set of rules for the road.

Advocates has worked in Connecticut over the years to upgrade its teen driving laws and we are pleased to see legislation moving in Hartford this year to limit nighttime driving for beginning teen drivers, and to require more behind-the-wheel practice time. By the time S.795 becomes law, perhaps Connecticut will be first in line to receive incentive grants.

So thank you, Senator Dodd, and Senator John Warner (R-VA), for standing up to this public health epidemic that is destroying the lives of so many young people, their friends and families. Thank you for providing exemplary leadership in the United States Congress on this incredibly important family issue. Advocates will be with you every step of the way until we see this lifesaving legislation enacted into law.

At a time when there are many issues that separate Members of Congress because of their party affiliation or geographic location in the United States, let's work together so that in the 109th Congress we can say that bi-partisan legislation was passed that saves teens, no matter where they live or what political views they hold.

It certainly is an issue whose time has come.

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), an alliance of consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America's roads safer, is actively involved at the federal and state levels to reduce the terrible tragedy of crashes to families across the nation.

June 14, 2005

Senator W. Greg Ryberg
Gressette Building
P.O. Box 142
Columbia, South Carolina 29202
Fax: 803-212-6406

The news that Governor Sanford allowed the primary enforcement seat belt bill to go into effect last week is wonderful indeed.

Congratulations on becoming 22nd in the nation - and the only state this year - to adopt this critical measure, and most of all, for the many lives that will be saved in South Carolina as a result. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), a coalition of insurers, public health and safety groups, has supported your efforts by generating grass roots contacts and conducting media interviews throughout the many years this important proposal has been before the legislature. Like you, we are very pleased to see it enacted into law.

Thank you for persisting in your campaign to see this bill passed. Your leadership made all the difference.

Sincerely,

Judith Lee Stone
President

Governor Mark Sanford
Office of the Governor
State House, P.O. Box 12267
Columbia, South Carolina 29211
Fax: 803-734-5167

Thank you for allowing the primary enforcement seat belt bill to pass last week. This one action will prevent many deaths and costly injuries thoughout South Carolina.

Your state has now become 22nd in the nation - and the only state this year -
to adopt this legislation. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), a coalition of insurers, public health and safety groups, has supported efforts throughout the many years this important proposal has been before the legislature. We are very pleased to see it enacted into law.

Countless South Carolinians will owe their lives to you and the decision you made to elevate the enforcement authority of this lifesaving law.

Sincerely,

Judith Lee Stone
President

Keep "Safety" in the SAFETEA Legislation

Don't Let Congress Leave the Senate Auto Safety Provisions In the Parking Lot
While Other Highway Initiatives are in the Passing Lane

URGENT - Need to Act Now with a Phone Call, Email or Fax in Support of Auto Safety Measures to Reduce Projected 18 Million Injuries and 250,000 Fatalities Over 6 Years

House and Senate negotiations on life-saving auto safety provisions - rollover and occupant ejection prevention, roof crush strength, side impact protection and child safety are stalled and may be stopped. These measures included in the Senate version of H.R. 3, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005 (SAFETEA) may be dropped from the overall multi-year, multi-billion dollar surface transportation bill. The leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is proposing to remove all of the auto safety provisions enacted with bi-partisan Senate support and introduce them in a separate bill to be passed at a later date.

This Development Will Add More Delay -- Uncertainty -
And May Even Defeat Long Overdue Vehicle Safety Measures

Talking Points in Support of Encouraging House and Senate Negotiations For Auto Safety Within H.R.3, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005:

House and Senate conferees need to include the Senate-passed auto safety provisions in the final version of H.R. 3.

Because of other legislation scheduled for consideration, Congress does not have time to take up and pass a separate auto safety bill in the House and Senate this September. Urge these Members of Congress to get the job done now. Indeed, these auto safety provisions already have been delayed for more than 3 years.

Traffic deaths are up in 2004. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates a total of 42,800 motor vehicle deaths last year -- an increase over 2003. Sport utility vehicle (SUV) rollover fatalities increased by nearly 7%.

These commonsense measures direct NHTSA to conduct rulemakings on long overdue safety standards that would reduce motor vehicle deaths and injuries by reducing rollover crashes, preventing occupant ejection, strengthening roof crush resistance, protecting children in and around vehicles, and requiring vehicle window stickers with government safety ratings.

Rollovers occur in only 3% of all crashes, but result in 1/3 of all occupant fatalities - more than 10,000 rollover deaths every year. Annual SUV rollover fatalities have more than tripled in the past decade - they were 216% higher in 2003 than in 1992.

When Congress acts, NHTSA reacts and lives are saved. Consumer, medical, health and safety groups, auto safety technology suppliers and insurers support this legislation because standard equipment technologies - air bags, head injury protection, rear seat lap and shoulder belts, better consumer information and anti-lock brakes in big trucks -- are the result of federal legislation directing NHTSA to move forward on commonsense safety standards.

For more information about the safety provisions in HR 3, go to: http://www.saferoads.org/federal/2005/SUVPoster.pdf

Act now to communicate your support to these key House and Senate Leaders in the Conference negotiations (see list below.) Ask them to include all of the Senate-passed safety provisions in the final version of H.R.3. Please phone or send a fax or, if you are a constituent, you can send an email through the legislator's website.

Alaska - Senate
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) Ph: (202) 224-3004; Fax: (202) 224-2354 www.stevens.senate.gov/
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Hawaii - Senate
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) Ph: (202) 224-3934; Fax: (202) 224-6747 www.inouye.senate.gov/
Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Mississippi - Senate
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) Ph: (202) 224-6253; Fax: (202) 224-2262 www.lott.senate.gov/
Chairman of the Senate Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee

Michigan - House
Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI) Ph: (202) 225-4071; Fax: (202) 226-0371 www.house.gov/dingell
Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Mississippi - House
Rep. Charles Pickering, Jr. (R-MS) Ph: (202) 225-5031; Fax: (202) 225-5797 www.house.gov/pickering
Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Texas - House
Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) Ph: (202) 225-2002; Fax: (202) 225-3052 www.joebarton.house.gov/
Chairman of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce

Please send a copy of your letter or email, and address any questions to: jgillan@saferoads.org or jgunderson@saferoads.org

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ACTION ALERT
OPPOSE Amendments to HR 3 That Will Weaken Truck Safety and Truck Driver Health

During House and Senate consideration of the truck safety provisions included in the surface transportation reauthorization bill, HR 3, safety groups successfully fought off three dangerous amendments that would roll back safety. As a result, none of the three life-threatening amendments were included in either the House or Senate-passed bills. Nonetheless, leaders of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are working hand in hand with the trucking industry to insert all three provisions in the final conference negotiations on HR 3. This is a sneaky, backroom assault on truck safety. We need your help immediately to contact Senate and House conferees to: Oppose Longer Work Days for Truck Drivers, Increasing the Hours Behind the Wheel of a Truck, Resulting In More Deaths and Injuries in Truck Crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released data for 2004 that projects an alarming rise in large truck crash deaths over 2003. In 2004, the large truck collision toll was 5,169 deaths, a leap of nearly 4 percent - another 183 lives lost - in a single year. At the present rate, the FMCSA will not fulfill their goal, set in 1999 by the Secretary of Transportation, of cutting in half the number of deaths that occur annually in motor carrier-involved fatal crashes. This toll is much too great to tolerate and must be stopped and reversed. Rejecting special interest exemptions in this legislation is the only sensible and safe strategy.

TALKING POINTS
The 3 amendments would:

Mandate DOT’s original, flawed Hours of Service (HOS) rule;

Eliminate federal responsibility for health protection for truck drivers; and

Extend the driver workday to 16 hours. (Wal*Mart amendment)

DOT’s flawed Hours of Service (HOS) rule means more work, less safety, for drivers -- up to 77 hours in 7 days instead of the maximum 60 hours under the old rule. Under FAA rules commercial pilots can only fly a maximum of 30 hours a week.

The flawed HOS rule was recently overturned in Federal Court by a unanimous decision. A 3-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected in its entirety the government’s HOS rule stating that major aspects of the rule are not based on scientific evidence and that the rule contradicts DOT’s own findings of fact.

Congress has already mandated that the DOT issue a new HOS rule by 9/30/05. This amendment would strip any opportunity for public participation in rewriting a new HOS rule.

For over 20 years the DOT has had the responsibility to protect truck driver health. The occupation of truck driving has the highest fatality risk of any profession and susceptibility to serious diseases directly related to truck driving. The Court of Appeals ruled that DOT broke the law when it ignored the effect of longer driving hours and less time off-duty on the health of truck drivers. Through this amendment, DOT wants Congress to rewrite federal law to eliminate their responsibility for driver health protection.

The Wal*Mart amendment undermines truck safety by extending the driver workday to 16 hours, and allowing breaks to be taken “off the clock.” Driver on-duty time is already too long, and additional time “off the clock” will permit motor carriers, shippers and receivers to require truck drivers to spend even more time on the job than is even allowed by the flawed HOS rule. An America Online (AOL) poll found that 85% of respondents opposed the Wal*Mart amendment.

Act now to communicate your opposition to these key House and Senate Leaders in the Conference negotiations (see list below.) Urge them to oppose all 3 amendments to H.R.3 and put the brakes on back room deals that will diminish truck safety. Please phone or send a fax or, if you are a constituent, you can send an email through the legislator's website.

Alaska - Senate
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) Ph: (202) 224-3004; Fax: (202) 224-2354 www.stevens.senate.gov/
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Hawaii - Senate
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) Ph: (202) 224-3934; Fax: (202) 224-6747 www.inouye.senate.gov/
Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Mississippi - Senate
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) Ph: (202) 224-6253; Fax: (202) 224-2262 www.lott.senate.gov/
Chairman of the Senate Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee

Alaska - House
Rep. Don Young (R-AK) Ph: (202) 225-5765; Fax: (202) 225-0425 www.house.gov/donyoung
Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Minnesota - House
Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) Ph: (202) 225-6211; Fax: (202) 225-0699 www.oberstar.house.gov
Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Please send a copy of your letter or email, and address any questions to: jgillan@saferoads.org or jgunderson@saferoads.org

Statement of Judith Lee Stone, President
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates)
On the Release of Fatality Figures for 2004 Motor Vehicle Crashes

Today's announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that overall motor vehicle fatalities declined in 2004 should be encouraging news, although deaths due to crashes involving rollover, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), motorcycles, and large trucks continued to climb:

• Rollover fatalities grew from 10,442 to 10,553;
• SUV deaths increased from 4,483 to 4,735, at the same time passenger cars, pickup trucks and vans decreased by 834 deaths.
• Motorcycle deaths surpassed 4,000 (4,008 in 2004 vs: 3,714 in 2003), an 8% increase; and
• Large truck deaths increased from 5,036 to 5,190.

Alcohol-related deaths were down by 2.4%, and pedestrian deaths dropped by 2.8%.

Final Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data for 2003, published by NHTSA, showed there were 42,643 deaths for the year. Today NHTSA reported that 42,636 people were killed in 2004 on our nation's highways. This high annual death toll has fluctuated between 41,500 and 43,000 for a decade, costing the nation more than $230 billion a year. The annual cost of motor vehicle crashes is nearly the amount of money authorized by Congress for the 6-year highway bill passed last week.

Passage in Congress of a new set of safety advances in H.R.3, the surface transportation reauthorization legislation, could not have come at a better time. Included were numerous directives to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue standards by certain dates for rollover prevention, improved roof strength, side impact protection, and better occupant ejection prevention, which apply to all vehicles and address safety issues across the board, including the escalating problem of SUV rollovers.

The bill also encourages states, through an incentive grant program, to adopt primary enforcement seat belt laws allowing a police officer to stop and ticket for lack of belt use. Passing these tougher laws and subsequently enforcing them is the most effective approach to boost seat belt use rates, which in the U.S. still lag behind European and other industrialized nations. Only 22 states and the District of Columbia have primary enforcement seat belt laws.

Among many other provisions, the bill also includes a new emphasis at NHTSA by requiring a study on vehicle backover avoidance technology and a data collection system for non-traffic incidents, such as backovers in driveways and parking lots, heat exposure when trapped in a car, carbon monoxide poisoning and power window strangulation, especially of children.

It is always encouraging to see the fatality numbers go down somewhat, but the unacceptable toll of more than 42,000 deaths -- year in and year out -- is an economic, social and personal burden on too many Americans. Taking preventive action, such as the safety package in H.R.3, will lead to thousands of lives being saved over time and help alleviate this annual public health epidemic.

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is a coalition of consumer, health, safety and insurance companies working together to advance highway and auto safety.

Action Needed to Support SB 774 (Seatbelt Enhancements) and Protect Back Seat Passengers

(Please forward this to anyone you know in North Carolina)

SB 774, a bill sponsored by Senator William Purcell, would require all passengers and drivers, including backseat passengers, to buckle up. The bill would also bring commercial truck driver seat belt requirements in compliance with federal law. The Senate version of this bill, which passed with a resounding 45-4 vote, is up for consideration in the House on Monday, August 29. Certain members of the House have expressed interest in gutting the backseat passenger requirements of this bill, which is the most important safety provision of this bill. Given that un-belted backseat passengers not only pose a fatal threat to themselves, but also to the drivers and front seat passengers, this bill would dramatically improve the safety of all automobile occupants. We urge you to do 2 simple tasks in support of this measure:

• Please call and/or email Representative Ronnie Sutton and urge him to NOT insert an amendment to SB 774 that would gut the backseat safety belt requirement. His contact information is: (919)715-0875 or Rons@ncleg.net

• Please call and/or email your representative and urge them to support SB 774 IN ITS ENTIRETY, without any amendments. To find your representative, visit: www.ncga.state.nc.us/House/House.html

Talking Points

In 2003, 72 backseat unbelted passengers died in North Carolina.

If only half of these lives were saved, $40 million North Carolina tax dollars could be saved annually.

If the occupants up front are belted and the backseat passengers are not, a collision at 31mph produces a five times greater risk for the front seat occupants (because of the pressure produced by the backseat passengers).

A collision at 31mph, the backseat passenger exerts 3.5 tons of pressure on the front seat.

If North Carolina does not comply with federal motor carrier seat belt requirements by 2007, North Carolina State Highway Patrol (Motor Carrier Division) will lose $5 million annually. (SB 774 will satisfy this requirement).

In 2003, 56% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes were not wearing seat belts.

Seat belts are credited with preventing 11,900 fatalities and 325,000 serious injuries annually. (NHTSA, 2003)

If all passengers were to wear their seat belts, an additional 9,200 fatalities and 143,000 serious injuries could be prevented each year. (NHTSA, 2003)

Six out of ten children who died in passenger vehicle crashes were unbelted. (National Safety Council, or NSC, 2002)

Average inpatient costs for traffic crash victims who did not use seat belts were 50% higher than for victims who were belted. (NSC, 2001)

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For further information, contact Jeremy Gunderson, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety,
202-408-1711 or jgunderson@saferoads.org

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is a coalition of consumer, health, safety and insurance companies working together to advance highway and auto safety.

http://saferoads.org/press/press2005/HOS_PetitionReconsiderationOfAug25_...

Action Needed to Support AB 618 and SB 305 and Protect Child Passengers

**UPDATE** AB 618 and SB 305 Passed Out Of Joint Finance Committee

(Please forward this to anyone you know in Wisconsin)

<
AB 618, a bill sponsored by Representative Jerry Petrowski (R-86th), and an identical bill, SB 305, sponsored by Senator Carol Roessler (R-18th), are both up for consideration this month in the Wisconsin state legislature. Both bills will address child passenger booster seats, and the requirements for their use. Specifically, these bills address long overdue safety standards surrounding child booster seat use and create a tiered structure, according to age and size, of restraint requirements for transporting children under the age of eight in a motor vehicle. These bills, coupled with education and enforcement, will have a tremendous impact on the safety of child passengers.

On Wednesday, October 26, the Joint Finance Committee of the Wisconsin State Legislature passed both AB 618 and SB 305 on a 14-2 vote. Both bills travel now to the full floor in both the Assembly and Senate for consideration, sometime within the next week.

• Please call and email your representatives and urge them to support AB 618 and SB 305
• Find your legislator's phone number here: www.legis.state.wi.us/

TALKING POINTS

BOOSTER SEAT SAFETY FACTS

According to Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS), which has conducted the first comprehensive study devoted exclusively to pediatric motor vehicle injury, inappropriate restraint of children in adult seat belts results in a 3.5-fold increased risk of significant injury and a more than fourfold increased risk of significant head/brain injury. (PCPS, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, State Farm Insurance Companies, 2003)

Using a booster seat with a seat belt instead of a seat belt alone reduces a child's risk of injury in a crash by 59%. (PCPS, 2003)

Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 14 and under. Seventy-five percent of motor vehicle crashes occur within 25 miles of home, and 60 percent of crashes occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or less. (SafeKids, 2005)

The use of belt-positioning booster seats lowers the risk of injury to children in crashes by 59 percent compared to the use of adult seat belts. The distribution of free seats accompanied by educational training can dramatically increase the use of booster seats among children ages 4 to 6. (SafeKids, 2005)

Restraint use is lower in rural areas and low-income communities. Lack of access to affordable car seats contributes to a lower use rate among low-income families. However, 95 percent of low-income families who own a car seat use it. (SafeKids, 2005)

BOOSTER SEAT LAW FACTS

Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have booster seat laws.

A 2004 Harris poll found that 84% of Americans support all states having booster seat laws protecting children ages 4 to 8. (Lou Harris, for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, 2004)

Child restraint laws have been proven to increase use rates. According to NHTSA's 2002 data, restraint use for children from birth to age 1 was 99%, and from ages 1 to 4 was 94%. However, both SafeKids and PCPS estimate that only 19% of 4-7 year-olds are riding properly restrained in booster seats. (SafeKids, 2002, Partners for Child Passenger Safety Interim Report 2002, updated 2003)

For further information, contact Jeremy Gunderson, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety,
202-408-1711 or jgunderson@saferoads.org

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is a coalition of consumer, health, safety and insurance companies working together to advance highway and auto safety.