New Federal Legislation to Prod Each State to Enact Model Laws to Curb Teen Driving Deaths

Free live satellite feed and live webcast to carry congressional STANDUP Act news announcement and Saferoads4teens.org campaign kickoff.

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Marking the start of the high school prom season, members of Congress, parents, pediatricians, police, and safety advocates will hold a news conference to announce introduction of the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act and launch the Saferoads4teens.org coalition to back passage of this new congressional effort urging each state to swiftly enact model Graduated Drivers Licensing laws for newly-licensed teen drivers. More than 80,000 Americans died in traffic crashes involving teen drivers over the past decade.

WHEN: Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. EDT

WHO: U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Tim Bishop (D-1-NY), Michael Castle (R-1-DE) and Chris Van Hollen (D-8-MD), chief sponsors of the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act, which will accelerate passage of model state Graduated Driver Licensing laws for novice teen drivers nationwide. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death and disabling injury of teens.

Captain Tom Didone, Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department, a career-long traffic safety leader whose teenaged son Ryan Didone was killed in a crash caused by a high school classmate last October 21, 2008.

Sherry Chapman (Hartford, CT) who cofounded Mourning Parents Act (!MPACT) after her teenaged son Ryan Ramirez was killed in a crash caused by a teen driver on December 7, 2002.

Natalie Hayford (Andover, MN), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Anoka High School, Anoka, MN, who has won awards for her leadership on the teen driver safety issue.

Joseph Wright, M.D., a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and Senior VP of the Child Health Advocacy Institute at Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

William Vainisi, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Allstate Insurance Company.

Judith Lee Stone and Jacqueline Gillan of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, which will spearhead the Saferoads4teens.org coalition's grassroots campaign.

WHERE: Corner of First Street and Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC - west front of U.S. Capitol building next to U.S. Botanic Gardens.

LIVE SATELLITE NEWSFEED of news conference (followed by b-roll) to be accessible at the following satellite coordinates - Satellite: Galaxy 28; Transponder: K17 Slot C; Downlink Frequency: 12044.5 V; Symbol Rate: 6.1113; FEC: 3/4

LIVE WEBCAST of news conference at: www.saferoads4teens.org

ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT containing broadcast quality video, audio and b-roll, as well as fact sheets on teen driving problem, federal STANDUP Act, how each state stacks up against STANDUP Act standard, news release, speakers' statements, and details on Saferoads4teens.org coalition, will be available for download at www.saferoads4teens.org

VISUALS: Two cars severely damaged in crashes caused by novice teen drivers will be on display at news conference, including the vehicle that Montgomery County Police Captain Didone's son Ryan was riding in when he was fatally injured last October.