Advocates Urges States to Adopt Highway Safety Legislation
During National Public Health Week

Legislatures Have Opportunity To Reduce
The Needless 43,443 Annual Auto Fatalities on America's Roads

Washington, D.C. (Monday April 2, 2007) - Coinciding with National Public Health Week (www.nphw.org), Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) released a statement on Monday, April 2, 2007, urging state legislatures to "kick into high gear" enacting critical highway safety laws aimed at reducing the alarming increase in auto fatalities.

"As of April 1st, ten state legislatures have already closed shop for the year, and another dozen legislatures will adjourn by the end of month, leaving missed opportunities on the table and failing to enact any significant highway safety laws in 2007," said Advocates President Judith Stone. "Motor vehicle crashes still represent a major public health epidemic and are the leading cause of death for people ages 3 to 33."

This comes at a time when 43,443 people died in traffic crashes in 2005 (the latest data available), which was the highest number in a single year since 1990 when 44,599 people died. The overall traffic fatality rate was up for the first time in 20 years as well. Another 2.7 million motorists were injured in crashes. The economic costs resulting from motor vehicle crashes exceed $230 billion annually, which is the equivalent toa yearly "crash tax" of $792 on every American.

In a study conducted earlier this year, Advocates identified 15 basic traffic safety measures in five major areas of safety behavior: seat belt use, motorcycle helmet use, child booster seat use, teen driving, and impaired driving. They found that no state has adopted all 15 of these fundamental laws. At the start of 2006, among the 50 states and D.C. there were nearly 300 gaps nationwide; by year's end only 22 of these state traffic safety loopholes were closed. Titled "2007 Roadmap Report to State Highway Safety Laws," the study can be found at www.saferoads.org

"It's not too late for some states to act on these lifesaving measures," said Stone. "Proven solutions in the form of effective laws are in your legislative toolboxes. Don't go home without fixing the problem."

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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. For more information, please visit www.saferoads.org.