"EcoDrivingUSA(TM)" Partners with Employers to Promote Safe, Smart and Efficient Driving

Partnership with NETS to launch with "Drive Safely Work Week" October 5-9

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- EcoDrivingUSA is proud to announce a new partnership with the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) during "Drive Safely Work Week" (DSWW), recognized nationally October 5-9. The partnership will promote safe and fuel-efficient driving in order to improve and strengthen the driving habits of Americans.

Drive Safely Work Week is the NETS annual workplace safety campaign that provides an effective way to remind all employees of safe driving practices, whether they drive for work or just to and from work.

"Our partnership with EcoDrivingUSA reminds employers and employees that driving safely and driving efficiently go hand-in-hand," said NETS Chairperson, Maureen Mazurek. "Following the EcoDriving principles and driving safely both require the driver to give their primary attention to the operation of their vehicle."

Federal government studies show that traffic crashes are the number one cause of death and injury in the workplace. In addition to the pain and suffering they cause, traffic crashes cost U.S. employers more than $60 billion annually. Furthermore, studies conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have concluded that 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes are due to some form of driver inattention.

"EcoDriving actually enhances safety," said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "That's why we've partnered with NETS to provide American drivers with practical information."

The DSWW 2009 campaign theme is "Drive Focused--Drive Smart--Get Home Safely." The campaign addresses the issue of distracted driving and encourages eco-friendly driving. NETS has made available a campaign tool kit for employers that provides materials and activities to help build strategies to minimize distractions while behind the wheel as well as offers tips and information on EcoDriving, or smart driving.

EcoDriving produces the highest mileage from every single vehicle, regardless of vehicle size and age, so it offers an unmatched reach in addressing energy and climate issues with the ability to affect the nation's entire fleet of 245 million automobiles. The program's benefits are potentially huge. If just half of all drivers nationwide practiced moderate levels of EcoDriving, annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions could be reduced by about 100 million tons, or the equivalent of heating and powering 8.5 million households.

"It's time that we all work to reduce our carbon footprint, in every way we can," McCurdy said. "EcoDriving is a way for each of us to make a difference, starting today."

  EcoDriving practices are surprisingly simple:

  --  The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that using cruise
      control for 10,000 of the miles driven in a year could save a driver
      nearly $200 and more than 60 gallons of fuel.
  --  Observing the speed limit and not exceeding 60 mph, where legally
      allowed, can improve mileage by up to 23 percent.

  --  Traffic lights are often synchronized so that a motorist driving at a
      specific speed will pass through a series of green lights without
      stopping. Driving at a steady speed can help drivers avoid red lights,
      therefore keeping their vehicles moving more efficiently.

NETS is a partnership between the U.S. federal government and leading companies including Abbott, AmeriFleet Transportation, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Chubb Group of Insurance, General Motors Company, Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Monsanto Company and UPS. For more information on NETS, visit www.trafficsafety.org. Information on "Drive Safely Work Week" can be found at http://trafficsafety.org/drivesafelyworkweek/about-dsww.php.

For more information on EcoDriving or to become an EcoDriver, please visit the interactive Web site, www.EcoDrivingUSA.com, which helps drivers learn practical tips for improving their mileage and reducing their carbon footprint. The site includes a video guide to EcoDriving, an "EcoCalculator" to determine benefits for individuals or states, a Virtual Road Test, and a variety of educational tools.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 11 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen. For more information, visit the Alliance Web site at www.autoalliance.org.