Automakers Stress Commitment to Road Safety

WASHINGTON, April 7 -- The following is a statement by Fred Webber, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, on the World Health Organization's Road Safety Day:

"The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is committed to enhancing road safety worldwide.

"Automobiles are a liberating technology for people around the world. The personal automobile allows people to live, work and play in ways that were unimaginable a century ago. Nearly every car trip ends with either an economic transaction or some other benefit to our quality of life.

"In the auto industry, safety is our North Star. Automakers have equipped today's vehicles with an array of important safety features, and we continue to develop and deploy new safety features and technologies in vehicles, making new cars and light trucks safer than ever.

"The industry has been at the forefront of innovative safety technology since the early days of the automobile. Automakers designed, developed and incorporated a succession of safety features, including all-steel bodies and four-wheel brakes, safety glazing, hydraulic brakes, disc brakes, safety belts, enhancements in fuel system integrity, windshield retention, energy absorbing steering columns, side door guard beams, improved headlamp lighting, front and side airbags, anti-lock braking, traction and skid control, auto- reversing power windows, proximity sensors, accident severity sensors, enhanced night vision, automatic crash notification and many more advanced safety features.

"Automakers have also invested millions of dollars to develop the most technologically advanced crash-test dummies. We now have an entire family of test dummies, including those representing a mid-size male, a small woman, a six-year-old child and a three-year-old child. These dummies, in addition to others in use, provide new information on crash performance that helps automakers better design vehicles to protect occupants.

"In December 2003 the Alliance, along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), announced its most comprehensive voluntary industry safety commitment ever to meet new performance criteria designed to enhance occupant protection in front- and side-impact crashes. The new safety performance criteria will drive a wide range of occupant protection technologies and designs, including enhanced matching of vehicle front structural components and enhanced side-impact protection through the use of features such as side airbags, airbag curtains and revised side-impact structures.

"This crash compatibility initiative represents the third in a series of voluntary industry commitments developed by the Alliance and international groups of safety experts.

"In 2000, a voluntary safety commitment to enhance the performance of side airbags was developed by the Alliance, IIHS, the Automotive Occupants Restraints Council, and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM).

"In 2002, voluntary safety guidelines to enhance driver focus when using telematics were developed by the Alliance, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Consumers Electronics Association, the American Automobile Association, the National Safety Council, AIAM and the Truck Manufacturers Association.

"Automakers are committed to doing their part -- yet they are only one part of the safety equation. Automotive safety is a shared responsibility among automakers, drivers and government.

"Driver behavior remains the most critical challenge to enhancing road safety. The most significant and the most immediate opportunities to reduce injuries are through changes to driver behavior. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, driver behavior is a definite or probable cause of more than 93 percent of vehicle crashes. Automakers are making vehicles safer than ever, but drivers need to do their part by practicing safe driving habits.

"The most important safety feature in an automobile is the safety belt. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), if all passenger occupants over age four wore safety belts, an additional 7,000 lives could have been saved this year in the United States.

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first safety belt law in New York. In the past 20 years, automakers have fought for similar laws in other states through our 'Traffic Safety Now' initiative, and we are proud that all states except New Hampshire now have safety belt laws. Currently, automakers support the 'Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign' devoted to increasing safety belt use.

"The Alliance commends Department of Transportation Secretary Mineta and NHTSA Administrator Runge for their commitment to increasing safety belt usage to 79 percent, the highest national rate in U.S. history. Their 'Click It or Ticket' campaign is saving lives. Clearly, the most important road safety message is this: safety belts save lives."

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of nine car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen. One out of every 10 jobs in the U.S. is dependent on the automotive industry. No other industry is linked to so much U.S. manufacturing or generates more retail business and employment. For more information, visit www.autoalliance.org.