Advocates
for Highway and Auto Safety Hails
Illinois State Legislature, Senator Cullerton, Governor Blagojevich
for
Enactment of Lifesaving Highway Safety Laws
Seat belt, teen driver and booster seat legislation will
save lives and prevent injuries.
ITASCA,
IL (July 3, 2003) - On the eve of one of the most dangerous
travel weekends, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates)
applauds Governor Rod Blagojevich and Senator John Cullerton
(D-Chicago) upon enactment of three critical highway safety
bills today. SB 50 will allow primary enforcement of the Illinois
seat belt law; SB 58 will prohibit teen drivers from carrying
more than one other teenage passenger (exempting siblings) for
the first six months of their licensure; and SB 52 will require
that children up to age 8 be restrained in a child safety seat
or booster seat.
"These new laws will help protect three major age groups
of the population - adults, teens and children," said Judith
Lee Stone, president of Advocates. "This is a very good
day for Illinois. Without the extraordinary leadership and hard
work of Senator Cullerton, these highway safety bills would
never have passed. Also, the Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign
played a pivotal role in mobilizing support for the primary
enforcement seat belt law."
According
to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in 2002
1,409 people died on Illinois's roads. IDOT estimates that 7
out of 10 motor vehicle occupants who died were not using seat
belts. If Illinois's current belt use rate (73.8 percent) increased
by 10-12 percentage points, which has happened on average in
other states enacting primary enforcement laws, an additional
141 fatalities and 4,934 injuries would be prevented on Illinois's
roads each year.
Teenage
drivers are involved in a disproportionately high number of
crashes compared to other age groups. The crash rate per mile
for drivers 15-20 years of age is about 4 times as high as drivers
over 21 years of age. According to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, 65 percent of teen passenger deaths occur
when other teens are driving.
Currently
in Illinois, 75 percent of 4-8 year olds are improperly restrained
in safety belts that are engineered to fit full-grown adults
according to Partners for Child Passenger Safety. Children restrained
in conventional seat belts instead of car seats or booster seats
are 3.5 times more likely to sustain serious injury.
"This
is truly a banner year for progress in highway safety policy
in Illinois," continued Stone. "Safety laws help change
driving behavior - sometimes people don't even realize that
these laws have saved their lives. There's great satisfaction,
though, in knowing that thousands of families will remain intact
because Illinois's roads are safer."
#
# #
Advocates
for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, health
and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working
together to make America's roads safer. Founded in 1989, Advocates
encourages the adoption of federal and state laws, policies
and programs that save lives and reduce injuries. Please visit
Advocates' web site at www.saferoads.org
