Teaching Teens to Buckle Up and Pay Attention Could Save Thousands of Lives Every Year

Buckle Your Seatbelt and Leave the Mobile Phone at Home are Two Basics for National Teen Driver Safety Week

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Takata Corporation, the world's leading supplier of automotive safety belts, is stressing the importance of the bill recently passed by the House of Representatives, establishing every third week in October as National Teen Driver Safety Week. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teens, accounting for more than one-third of all deaths of 16- to 18- year-olds.

"Takata takes this issue very seriously, and we are extremely pleased to see the issue of teen driver education being recognized as a top priority," said Alby Berman, vice president of communications, Takata. "Because young drivers are inexperienced, easily distracted and are prone to taking risks, Takata reminds teens and parents to follow the basics first - buckle up, every time, and leave the cell phone at home. Takata is highly invested in teen driver safety programs to promote safer teen driving behaviors, and there is much to do in this area, but following those two basic rules can make the difference between life and death."

With CD players, mobile phones, drive-thru restaurants, text messaging and more all fighting for driver's attention, Takata recognizes teen driving distraction is a growing concern. According to NHTSA, drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 were four times as likely to have inattention-related crashes and near-crashes compared to drivers over the age of 35. The study also labels mobile phone use as the most frequent behavior distracting drivers.

"Our hope as one of the world's automotive safety leaders is to help initiate more open communication among young drivers, their parents and the community about the leading causes of teen driving crashes, and to provide life-saving solutions to live by," said Berman. "Those solutions can be mechanical and part of the growing number of safety systems built into the vehicle, but behavioral choices play a significant role - and buckling up and staying off the phone while driving would have an enormous impact."

Takata is also continuously working to raise awareness on the importance of seat belt usage. In 2005, NHTSA found that 77 percent of the passengers who were involved in a fatal crash, and who were buckled up, survived the crash. Locally, Michigan had a 94.3 percent usage rate in 2006, second only to Washington State, where 96.3 percent of drivers buckle up. Unfortunately, the year-to-year national average fell one percentage point from 2005 to 2006, now down to 81 percent. Takata would like to see that trend reversed this year. Buckling up saves lives.

The National Teen Driver Safety Week enforcement period is Oct. 15 - 20, 2007. The goal of National Teen Driver Safety Week is to focus on the development and communication of effective methods to help reduce crashes involving teen drivers. State Farm Insurance and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) are actively joining in support of this national initiative. They share an alliance in ongoing research and outreach initiatives that can ultimately help reduce the risk of crash injury for teen drivers and those that share the road with them, according to the CHOP and State Farm Web sites.

Takata, the world's leading supplier of automotive safety belts, has a long history of safety innovation and provides a host of safety technologies with the goal of protecting human life. The company's product portfolio includes seat belts, front- and side-impact protection, electronics and textiles. The company, with its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, is involved in many consumer and government safety efforts, including being a corporate sponsor and active board member of the Traffic Improvement Association of Michigan.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Alby Berman, Takata vice president of communications, is available for one-on-one interviews. Call Lindy Bleau (248-233-8128) to schedule an interview.