'Safely There' Mobile Exhibit Tour Opens at Sea Fair: Safety is on a Roll

  Who:  Jim Gill, director, public relations, Continental Teves
        Automotive safety equipment supplier

        Lorie Dankers, chief information officer, NHTSA Representative,
        Region X

        John Moffat, director, Washington Traffic Safety Commission

        Rob Sharpe, trooper and rollover expert, Washington State Patrol

What: Tours of Continental's Safely There mobile exhibit, highlighting Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and other accident avoidance technologies currently available on new vehicles. It features interactive, multimedia displays and visitors can "test drive" a vehicle with/without electronic stability control in a sophisticated, 3-D driving simulator. Interviews with the individuals listed above and photo opportunities of the exhibit with visitor responses and reactions will be available.

When: Friday, August 1, 9-10 a.m.

Where: South turn lot, Seattle Sea Fair. (look for the large, bright orange Continental "Safely There" tractor-trailer exhibit)

Why: Traffic deaths in 2002 reached the highest level since 1990, and fatalities in rollover crashes accounted for 82 percent of the increase in 2002, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There has been a steady drumbeat of warnings about the dangers of rollovers, especially in SUVs.

* But available safety equipment that is widely used in Europe and elsewhere that could prevent more than 5,000 rollover deaths every year is still unknown to most Americans. The Continental "Safely There" exhibit demonstrates this currently available technology to the public.

* The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended last month that the NHTSA expand and expedite its current evaluation of electronic stability control and consider whether to require it in all passenger vehicles.

* Continental, a major automotive supplier of electronic stability control and other safety equipment, is launching a national educational road tour to promote consumer awareness about preventing rollover crashes, injuries and fatalities. More information is available at www.conti-online.com or www.contitevesna.com

B-roll: Dramatic b-roll of rollover crashes and electronic stability control effectiveness is available.

Note: The exhibit will continue to be available for public and media tours at Sea Fair from August 1-3, 2003.

PRNewswire -- July 30