Drivers Warned to be Vigilant During the '101 Deadliest Days on the Road;' Families and Children at Greatest Risk of Fatal Crashes

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 -- The 101 days from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day are the deadliest days on the road, with more fatal crashes and more children and teens dying than any other time of the year, according to a new report by a national coalition of driving safety advocacy groups.

"Americans drive more than one trillion miles during the summer vacation months," said Susan Pikrallidas, AAA's Vice President of Public Affairs. "For thousands of families, their trips will end in needless tragedy. We need to change that."

The "Drive for Life" report details six factors that contribute to fatal crashes and offers survival strategies to keep families safe. Major summer- crash contributors: are failure to wear safety belts or use child-safety seats properly; drinking and driving; fatigue; car maintenance failures; speed;, and distractions. Drive for Life is an initiative of AAA, Volvo Cars of North America, and Partners for Highway Safety, in cooperation with law enforcement and highway safety groups. Key findings:

* Nearly 13,000 Americans will die and 850,000 will be injured in car crashes during the 101 days.

* More children die in motor vehicle deaths in summer, with crashes being the No. 1 cause of children's deaths.

* Teen traffic deaths also peak in summer, when inexperienced teen drivers log significantly more hours behind the wheel and are much more likely to drive at night.

* Parents driving with children are more likely to drive fatigued and at night, when they are most likely to encounter drunk drivers.

"We pride ourselves on building the safest vehicles that we can engineer. But driver behavior is an essential part to keeping families safe on the road," said Thomas Andersson, executive vice president of Volvo Cars of North America, LLC.

The initiative also will air a new, national 30-minute television special, "The National Safe Driving Test 2004" on PAX-TV on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m., during the height of Labor Day weekend, when the winner of Volvo's Safe Driving Sweepstakes and a new Volvo XC90 will be announced. Licensed drivers can enter for a chance to win at http://www.driveforlife.com/.

EDITORS' ADVISORY: Complete release and report available at www.driveforlife.com/newsroom.html