New Harris Poll Finds Overwhelming Public Support for Federal Leadership on Auto and Truck Safety Reform, Tough State Highway Safety Laws and More Funds to Get the Job Done

             Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Responds with
   '21 Recommendations for the 21st Century' to Cut Rising U.S. Death Toll

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 The American public strongly favors
child booster seat laws, cell phone restrictions in cars, adequate safeguards
for Mexican trucks, red light camera technology and intersection safety
upgrades, improved vehicle rollover standards and other federal regulatory
reforms, and increased funding to improve the safety on our nation's roadways,
according to a new Louis Harris Poll released today.
    Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), an alliance of
consumer, health, safety, insurance and law enforcement organizations,
commissioned the fourth independent Harris survey gauging the American
public's views on crucial highway and vehicle safety concerns.
    In conjunction with the release of the 2001 Harris survey, Advocates
issued the 2001 "Stuck in Neutral: Recommendations for Shifting the Highway
and Auto Safety Agenda into High Gear."  The report includes
"21 Recommendations for the 21st Century" urging federal and state legislative
and regulatory action to dramatically reduce death and injury on the nation's
roads.
    Harris polled a cross-section of U.S. adults (18 years and older) on a
wide range of current safety issues from the controversial red light camera
debate to cell phone driver restrictions to government spending priorities.
Among the survey's key findings:

    * Nearly 80% of the public favors state laws requiring children between
      the ages of four and eight years of age to be properly restrained in a
      booster seat while riding in a motor vehicle.  More than 500 children
      are killed and another 100,000 injured in this age group each year in
      traffic crashes.

    * 78% of the public wants more attention paid to improving intersection
      safety.  And, despite heated debates across the nation, state laws to
      allow the use of red light cameras as a law enforcement supplement are
      still favored by more than a 2-to-1 majority of the public (69%).

    * 76% of Americans favor legislation that would restrict the use of cell
      phones while driving and 83% want more attention paid to the issue of
      cell phone use by drivers.

    * The U.S. border is soon to be opened for unrestricted travel by Mexican
      trucks.  A nearly unanimous 94% of the American people oppose such
      access without the proper U.S. safety inspections.

    * More than 70% of the population is concerned about the dangers of
      rollovers in vehicles.  In addition, 85% of Americans favor a federal
      rollover standard.

    * By large majorities, the public wants enforced restrictions placed on
      young drivers before and initially after they receive their licenses.
      There is nearly unanimous support for teenage drivers to complete at
      least 30 to 50 hours of practice driving while with an adult (95%).  In
      addition, a three to one majority (74% to 23%) supports limiting the
      number of teen passengers in the car with a teen driver.

    * Nine out of ten Americans (90%) believe that the power to set rules and
      regulations concerning areas of safety (including auto safety) should be
      that of the federal government.

    * An unprecedented 83% of the American public (77% in 1999) favors an
      increase in federal spending on highway and auto safety programs.  And
      an overwhelming 82% support dedicating a "penny at the pump" (one cent
      of the current 18.4 cents per gallon gas tax) to support this additional
      funding.

    "I can't recall over the years a time when highway and auto safety matters
have commanded the front and center attention of the American people more than
right now in the fall of 2001," said pollster Lou Harris.
    "Despite the rhetoric that the public does not want the government in
their backyard, this poll shows quite the contrary when it comes to highway
and vehicle safety," said Judith Lee Stone, president of Advocates for Highway
and Auto Safety.  "Never before have we seen the public so energized and
supportive.  What's missing is political will and leadership in the nation's
capital and in most of our state capitals.  The message for our government
leaders is don't be afraid to step up to the plate because there will be
overwhelming public support behind you all the way."
    Advocates released its 2001 "Stuck in Neutral" report today urging action
on many outmoded vehicle safety standards that have not been revised since
they were first established 30 years ago.  The report includes 21 legislative
and regulatory measures needed at the federal and state levels to dramatically
reduce death and injury on the nation's highways.

    For instance, Advocates called on every state to enact:

    * Child booster seat use laws;

    * Legislation to enable localities to install photo enforcement systems to
       combat red light running and excessive speeding;

    * Standard enforcement seat belt laws;

    * Graduated Drivers License laws to phase in the driving privilege for
       teen drivers;

    * All-rider motorcycle helmet laws; and

    * .08 BAC, repeat offender and open container laws to combat drunk
       driving.

    Advocates also called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to:
    * Issue a new federal stability performance standard for vehicles to
       reduce the prevalence of deadly rollover and roof crush in crashes;

    * Provide crashworthiness ratings window stickers on each vehicle to
       assist consumers at the point-of-purchase;

    * Work with the state and local governments to improve intersection safety
       and highway work zone safety;

    * Require full safety evaluations of Mexican trucks applying to operate
       nationwide before they are awarded interstate operating authority; and

    * Support a "penny at the pump" proposal to dedicate one cent of the
       18.4 cent federal gas tax to federal highway and vehicle safety
       programs, which would raise the U.S. investment in combating highway
       deaths from the current $400 million up to about $1.2 billion annually.

    Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of Americans ages
1 to 34.  Over the past decade, highway deaths have been stuck at more than
40,000 annually, with a slight increase in 2000.  Last year, 41,800 people
were killed in highway crashes, up from 41,611 in 1999.  Other increases
included deaths of young drivers aged 16 - 20 years (3,481 in 1999 to 3,570 in
2000) and rollover deaths of sport utility vehicle occupants (1,898 in 1999 to
1,951 in 2000).
    "A similar breakdown in aviation safety would prompt the grounding of
airlines while aggressive federal and state action was taken to assure the
public's safety," Stone said.  "But despite these grim statistics, numerous
lifesaving laws and safety standards are not being adopted at the federal and
state levels."
    Also joining Harris and Stone at the National Press Club announcement
today were Advocates co-chair Herman Brandeau of State Farm Insurance,
Advocates board member Joan Claybrook of Public Citizen, Advocates board
member Hubert Williams of the Police Foundation, red light running victim
Barbara Blaustein of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Christine Guarino of
Germantown, Maryland, whose son's life was saved by his child booster seat in
a crash with a truck.

    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 http://www.saferoads.org for the complete
findings of the 2001 Louis Harris Poll and  "Stuck in Neutral" report.

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