Autoliv Stands Behind National Effort to Stop Drivers Who Don't Buckle up Children
24 May 1999
Autoliv Stands Behind National Effort to Stop Drivers Who Don't Buckle up Children
Autoliv Urges Zero Tolerance for Unbuckled Children
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 24 -- Autoliv, the world's largest
automotive safety supplier, today announced its official support of a national
mobilization this Memorial Day week to protect children by stepping up
enforcement of child passenger safety laws. Thousands of law enforcement
agencies across the nation are conducting the first 1999 wave of the Operation
ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children -- the largest ever coordinated
stepped-up enforcement effort aimed at drivers who don't buckle up children.
Autoliv joined organizations nationwide that endorsed the intensive, 50-state
lifesaving initiative.
"Although only law enforcement officers can write the tickets, we stand
firmly behind the lifesaving message each ticket delivers," said Brad Murray,
President, Autoliv North America. "Autoliv is not only an employer, we're
parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who want to protect our children. The
Operation ABC Mobilization is the kind of broad community-based movement our
nation needs to save children's lives. In Michigan, the Memorial Day week
initiative is being promoted with the "Click it, don't risk it" theme.
A survey recently completed by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) found that 19 million more Americans buckled up in
1998. If these millions of people continue to use seat belts, an estimated
1,500 lives will be saved. In addition, a survey by the National Safety
Council showed fatalities went down by more than 35 percent during last May's
Operation ABC Mobilization.
"The impact of the last Operation ABC Mobilization clearly illustrates
that high-visibility enforcement coupled with broad community support works,"
said Dr. Ricardo Martinez, Administrator of NHTSA. "We praise the work of law
enforcement and organizations nationwide to save lives on our roads."
"Autoliv gives its official 'Endorsement for Enforcement'," said Brad
Murray. "We urge zero tolerance for unbuckled children and hope officers can
expand the mobilization's success to save even more lives and send a clear
message to America: The law requires that children be buckled up at all
times. No exceptions. No excuses." But because adults are not obeying the
law, children are being crippled or killed in traffic crashes.
Increasingly, officers are strengthening enforcement of adult belt laws
during Operation ABC Mobilizations. A recent study reported in the Journal of
the American Academy of Pediatrics found "driver restraint use was the
strongest predictor of child restraint use ... a restrained driver was three
times more likely to restrain a child." And according to surveys by NHTSA,
when a driver buckles up, children are buckled up 87 percent of the time.
However, when a driver is unbuckled, child belt use drops to only 24 percent.
"Many drivers just don't believe they'll be in a crash, so they don't put
on their own seat belt or make sure that children are restrained," said Barry
Murphy, Director, Investor Relations. "The possibility of being stopped and
ticketed is what it takes for many drivers to protect children by always
buckling them up."
A survey of parents who have infants shows that the lack of adult belt use
particularly endangers babies. Parents who don't buckle up are more likely to
improperly place babies in the front seat, leaving them at serious risk of
being injured or killed by an airbag. According to investigations, almost all
the children who have died from airbag related injuries were completely
unrestrained, improperly restrained or were infants riding in a rear-facing
infant seat in the front seat of the vehicle.
As part of their enforcement activities throughout the Operation ABC
Mobilization, officers will distribute information on airbag safety and the
importance of making sure children 12 and under ride properly buckled up in
the back seat.