U.S. Senator, Safety Advocates to Urge Passage of National Seat Belt Legislation 2/6/2004
From: Adam Vogt, 202-408-1711, ext. 20; e-mail: avogt@saferoads.org; Bill Bronrott, 301-652-6016 or 202-270-4415; e-mail: bbcomm@aol.com, both for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety; web: http://www.saferoads.org News Advisory: WHAT: NEWS CONFERENCE where U.S. Senator John Warner (R-Va.) will be joined by safety advocates to urge passage of the National Highway Safety Act of 2003 (S. 1993). The bill encourages each state to enact a primary enforcement seat belt law or raise their seat belt use rate to 90 percent. If a state fails to accomplish one or the other, they face the loss of a portion of their federal highway funding. Supporters of the bill will try to add it to the TEA-21 surface transportation reauthorization bill. Over 130 national, state and local groups representing consumer, health, safety, medical, child advocacy, insurance, auto industry, law enforcement, African-American Mayors and State Legislators, and drunk driving victims support this legislation. WHEN: MONDAY, FEB. 9 at 2 ET WHERE: Room 236, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. WHO: -- U.S. Senator John W. Warner (R-Va.) -- State Representative Steve Jones (D-Ark.), Chair, National Black Caucus of State Legislators' Committee on Transportation -- Wendy Hamilton, National President, Mothers Against Drunk Driving -- Phil Haseltine, President, Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety -- Alan Maness, Federal Affairs Director, State Farm Insurance Companies -- Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen -- Kristen Appleby, sister of TN fatal crash victim who was unbuckled -- American Medical Association representative -- Dana G. Schrad, Executive Director, Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police WHY: Over each of the past five years, the number of motor vehicle occupants killed in crashes has risen. Today, only 20 states and D.C. have a primary enforcement seat belt law, despite research showing that such a law raises a state's seat belt use rate by 10-15 percentage points. Primary enforcement means that law enforcement officers may issue a citation any time they observe an unbelted occupant. Under a weaker secondary enforcement law, officers may issue a safety belt citation only if the officer has stopped the vehicle for some other reason. Seat belts save 13,000 lives each year, but 7,000 people die because they do not use seat belts, according to U.S. DOT. ------ Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (http://www.saferoads.org) is an alliance of consumer, health, law enforcement 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. |