Contact: Shane Austin
[email protected]
202.425.2776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement of Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on Memorial Day Travel and Actions All States Should Take to Save Lives and Reduce Injuries on Roadways
(Washington, D.C. | May 19, 2025) As Memorial Day weekend approaches, AAA projects 39.4 million will travel by car, up nearly 1 million from 2024. With annual motor vehicle crash-related fatalities near record highs, this surge in road travel underscores the urgent need for enhanced road safety measures.
As outlined in our 2025 Roadmap to Safety report, seat belt non-use, speeding, distraction, impaired driving and red light running are some of the major factors contributing to crashes. Here are actions that should be taken now to prevent crashes and save lives all year round.
- All states should:
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- Adopt primary enforcement all-occupant seat belt laws:
- Based on known restraint use, nearly 49% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2023 were unrestrained.
- For passenger vehicle occupants who survived fatal crashes in 2023, only 14% were unrestrained.
- Seat belt use is higher in states with primary enforcement laws compared to those with secondary enforcement laws or with no seat belt use law.
- Rear seat belt use by passengers in fatal crashes was lower than front seat belt use in almost every state and was substantially lower in many states.
- Enact all-offender ignition interlock device (IID) laws:
- Nationwide, between 2006 and 2020, IIDs prevented 3.78 million attempts to drive drunk, according to a 2022 report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
- Enact comprehensive laws to deter distracted driving:
- As technology on mobile devices has developed to include other electronic communications and uses such as video chatting, streaming, posting to social media and “apps,” states have enhanced their texting ban laws by prohibiting these and other distracting electronic communications and uses while driving. Yet, many improvements are still needed.
- Permit and put into use automated enforcement (AE) technologies:
- Speed safety cameras alone resulted in a 19% reduction in the likelihood that a crash resulted in a fatal or incapacitating injury.
- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has found that red light cameras reduced fatal red light running crashes by 14% and all fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 21%.
- Adopt primary enforcement all-occupant seat belt laws:
Click here to see how your state rates on the enactment of 18 laws and countermeasures critical to reducing motor vehicle fatalities and injuries.
As we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation this Memorial Day, let’s also commit to protecting the lives of those on our roads. By embracing proven safety measures, we can help everyone have a safe start to the summer.
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About Advocates
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.