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Press Release: Out of Control Death Toll on U.S. Roadways Requires Urgent Action by State and Federal Officials — New Report by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) Details a Comprehensive Plan to Prevent Crashes, Fatalities and Injuries
 791 1024 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The recent, unprecedented spike in fatalities merits urgent action.  Fortunately, the solutions to persistent issues causing crash deaths and injuries, as detailed in Advocates’ Roadmap Report, are verified and available.  Every serious preventable crash exacts a physical, emotional, and economic toll.  Lawmakers and those empowered to protect road users must chart a course in 2022 to address “out of control” fatalities by supporting proven countermeasures and commonsense vehicle safety upgrades.

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MEDIA ALERT: Annual Report Card to Rate 50 States & DC on Passage of Top Traffic Safety Laws Aimed at Curbing Historic Rise in Roadway Deaths
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) will release the 2022 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws, an annual report detailing 16 optimal traffic safety laws proven to reduce crashes, injuries and deaths.  Advocates will also release the findings of a new public opinion poll about roadway dangers.

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Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
 384 184 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) is saddened to learn of the passing of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).  As the Senator’s former colleagues and friends reflect upon his remarkable legacy as a member of Congress, Advocates remembers Senator Reid as a staunch supporter of making our nation’s roads safer for everyone.

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Statement on Older Driver Safety Awareness Week (Dec. 6-10, 2021) and Newly Released Studies Showing Older Drivers Face Greater Risks Due to Older Vehicles
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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During Older Driver Awareness week (Dec. 6-10, 2021), Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) thanks the researchers at IIHS for highlighting this issue and calls on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to accelerate progress towards requiring lifesaving safety technology in new vehicles, as required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ((IIJA), Pub. L. 117-58) which was enacted last month.

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Statement on National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Amidst an alarming rise in U.S. roadway crash fatalities, measures to curb the persisting and perennial dangers of impaired driving must be advanced with a renewed urgency.

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Statement on the Retirement of Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is a shrewd negotiator, a masterful legislator and a dedicated safety advocate.  Countless lives have been and will continue to be saved due to his skills and savvy, including the safety advances in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

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Partners for Practice Hours Coalition Statement Urging Passage of Bills to Upgrade New Jersey’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Law
 1024 536 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Coalition urges New Jersey Legislature to approve practice hours legislation (S1963/A1354) in the post-election session.  Arkansas, Mississippi, and New Jersey are the only states in the nation that currently don’t require this life-saving practice for new drivers.

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Cathy Chase Remarks at Press Conference Hosted by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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We are at a transformative time in surface transportation history. With crash deaths reaching nearly 40,000 in 2020 and spiking even more during the first half of this year, there’s an urgency to implement proven solutions.

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Letter for House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Hearing on Supply Chain Challenges
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) submitted written testimony for a November 17, 2021 hearing held by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, “Industry and Labor Perspectives: A Further Look at North American Supply Chain Challenges.”  The statement focused on dangers associated with proposals to weaken existing truck safety rules and allow the deployment of autonomous trucks. 

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Joint Statement on the Need to Prioritize Safety While Addressing Supply Chain Challenges
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Our nation’s leaders should be taking swift action to make our roads safer for all road users, especially those whose “offices” are on the roadways such as truck drivers.

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Statement on Signing of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law, the U.S. Department of Transportation, led by Secretary Pete Buttigieg, must build upon this momentum.

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Joint Statement on U.S. House of Representatives Passage of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3684)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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It is now time for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to act with urgency to implement and exceed the Congressional directives to address the nearly 40,000 deaths and 2.7 million injuries occurring on our nation’s roadways annually.

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Group Letter Urging Kentucky to Upgrade its Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Expanding current distracted driving laws to more broadly curb manual use of devices, known as a hands free requirement or a hand held prohibition, and coupling this measure with provisions to also restrict distracting viewing of devices, such as accessing the internet, reading and updating social media networks, video chatting and streaming video, can help to deter deadly device use behind the wheel.

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Statement on Dramatic Rise in Crash Deaths During the First Half of 2021
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Motorists and road users are being killed needlessly while proven solutions are deferred, delayed or dormant.   We call upon U.S. DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his team to expeditiously issue new safety requirements to protect all road users.

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Statement on Road Safety During Halloween
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2021 CONTACT: Pete Daniels / pdaniels@saferoads.org / 301-442-2249 (C)   Statement from Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on Road Safety During Halloween   Excited children walking on sidewalks and roadsides…

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Announcement of a new coalition supporting upgrades to graduated driver licensing requirements in New Jersey
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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To kick off National Teen Driver Safety Week, AAA Clubs of New Jersey — along with more than 20 like-minded traffic safety, education, and insurance organizations — announced their support for S1963/A1354, sponsored by Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Assembly Transportation Chairman Daniel Benson.

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Statement on National School Bus Safety Week (October 18-22)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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During National School Bus Safety Week (October 18-22), Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) is calling on Congress to make the vehicles upon which many rely for their children’s commute to and from school and after-school activities safer.

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Statement on National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 17-23)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Motor vehicle crashes are a leading killer of teenagers in the U.S.  Proven traffic safety laws and collision avoidance technology can prevent them.

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Letter in Support of Bills on Seat Belts and Automated Enforcement in Massachusetts
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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A comprehensive seat belt law and use of automated enforcement systems to curb deadly driving behaviors, such as speeding and red light running, are vital to overcome the public health epidemic of traffic fatalities and injuries, and to ensure the health and safety of Massachusetts families and visitors who travel on the Commonwealth’s roads.

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Statement on Pedestrian Safety Month
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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This Pedestrian Safety Month, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) is shining a spotlight on the need to implement proven countermeasures to protect pedestrians and other vulnerable road users (VRUs), especially as overall traffic fatalities also continue to rise.

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Statement on Child Passenger Safety Week
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Protecting children with proven safety solutions is an achievable goal.  This Child Passenger Safety Week, we call upon state and federal officials to make it happen.

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National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Safe System Series Roundtable on Vehicle Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On September 9, 2021 Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), participated in a roundtable discussion on vehicle safety hosted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).  The discussion was the third in a series on the Safe System Approach, highlighting the NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements, and was moderated by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.

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Statement on Extension of Emergency Declaration and Exemptions from Certain Truck Safety Regulations
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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With the recent announcement by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) extending exemptions pertaining to operations supporting direct assistance for COVID-19 relief efforts, we urge the agency to be transparent about their use by making any related data available to the public.

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Statement on Traffic Fatality Spike During First Quarter of 2021
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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New estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveal the continuation of a deadly upward trend and underscore the urgent need to advance proven solutions to reduce crashes, injuries and deaths.

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Statement on Labor Day and Needed Auto Safety Improvements
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Holiday weekend travel combined with recent increases in dangerous driving behaviors highlight urgent need to advance proven solutions to protect roadway workers and all road users.

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Washington Post Letter to the Editor by Cathy Chase and Jack Gillis
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We are still miles from achieving safe and fully autonomous vehicles. On this trajectory, incremental steps could save thousands of lives. Crash-avoidance technologies, such as automatic emergency brakes (AEB), are available and effective.

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Missouri Times Op-Ed by Cathy Chase on Traffic Safety Laws
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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These are dangerous times for Missouri motorists and road users. Crash fatalities skyrocketed to a 13-year high in 2020, with nearly 1,000 deaths, including 120 pedestrians, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT).

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Letter to the Editor by Michelle DuBarry on Transportation and Infrastructure Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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We need DeFazio to keep fighting for this and other safety improvements in the House bill before a package is sent to the president who, like me, has endured the loss of a young child.

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Statement on Back to School Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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We urge Congress to make certain the infrastructure/transportation bill sent to President Joe Biden advances proven safety technologies which will protect children and their families for years to come.

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Statement on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Investigation of Tesla Crashes
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Auto safety agency’s investigative actions are commendable.  They also highlight the need for minimum performance standards for vehicles with automated driving technology to protect first responders and all road users.

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Joint Statement on U.S. Senate’s Passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
 1024 374 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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 Failure to adopt House-passed safety requirements in the Senate’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act puts all road users on a dangerous and deadly path.

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Message to Congress from Victim Advocates on Transportation and Infrastructure Legislation
 652 466 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Congress must advance proven vehicle safety solutions to prevent future tragedies as part of transportation and infrastructure legislation.

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Message to Congress from Hot Car Incident Victim Advocates Jamie & Andrew Dill, PhD
 303 403 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“We the people are trusting our elected officials to help our children, our future.  Pass the Hot Cars Act as part of transportation and infrastructure legislation.”

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Message to Congress from Seatback Collapse Victim Advocate Theodore Schwab
 713 559 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“On March 25, 2016 our 10-year-old son Teddy was severely injured as a result of a collapsing seatback in a rear impact collision.  Teddy suffered a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury during the crash, and our family has never been the same.”

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Message to Congress from Red Light Running Crash Victim Advocate Melissa Wandall
 660 332 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“My husband Mark was taken from our family following a senseless red light running crash in 2003. Today, I am asking Congress to ensure that lifesaving safety technology is required in all new vehicles.”

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Message to Congress on “Teen Truckers” Pilot Program
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Dangerous pilot program allowing “teen truckers” to drive large trucks in interstate commerce must be stripped.

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Message to Congress from Hot Car Incident Victim Advocate Lindsey Rogers-Seitz
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“It has been seven years since my precious son Benjamin passed away in our family vehicle after a change in routine caused my husband to forget that he had not dropped him off at daycare.  Families do not move on from tragedies like this, and perhaps the most tragic thing of all is that these hot car incidents are preventable with the right kind of technology.  Car manufacturers have been aware of this problem for decades.  We need the U.S. Senate to follow the lead of the House and include the Hot Cars Act in transportation and infrastructure legislation.”

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Message to Congress from Distracted Driving Victim Advocate Jennifer Smith
 313 329 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent the message below to Congress on August 3, 2021: This morning, an op-ed was published in Chicago’s Daily Herald, “Build safety into infrastructure bill,” by Shaun Kildare, Senior Director of Research at Advocates…

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Statement on Stop on Red Week 2021
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Red light running is a known killer on our roads.  The annual “Stop on Red Week” campaign by the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) shines a spotlight on the need to address this deadly behavior, which was responsible for more than 800 deaths and 143,000 injuries in 2019 alone.

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Statement in Response to U.S. Senate’s Bipartisan Transportation/ Infrastructure Bill
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Transportation and infrastructure legislation released today, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, fails to address the mounting physical, emotional and economic toll of motor vehicle crashes occurring every year.  The unique opportunity to enact transformative transportation policies occurs every five years.  Congress must capitalize on this moment and include proven solutions to the problems that persist on our nation’s roads.

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Message to Congress from Truck Safety Victim Advocate Russ Swift
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent the message to Congress below on August, 31, 2021:   Russ Swift (Port St. Lucie, FL), Co-Chair of Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.): “Nearly 28 years ago, October 14, 1993, our 23-year-old…

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Action Alert: Improvements Needed to Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Bill
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Deaths are Up.  Action is Needed Now.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates, last year, 38,680 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes.  This marks the largest projected increase in traffic fatalities since 2007 even while…

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Message to Congress from Seatback Safety Victim Advocate Andy Warner
 540 494 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“My daughter, Taylor Grace, was killed in 2010, at almost 17 months old, when our car was hit from behind, and the seat in front of her collapsed in a totally predictable way. She was killed by a seat that met the federal standard. Our little girl did not live to see her second birthday, but this failing standard is now almost 54 years old. We chose the vehicle we were in because we thought it was safe. Yet, because the government has failed to modernize the seatback standard, parents just like us are putting their own children at risk every day when they are doing exactly as the government recommends – putting their babies in the back seat.”

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Statement on U.S. Senate’s Bipartisan Transportation & Infrastructure Bill
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2021 CONTACT: Pete Daniels / pdaniels@saferoads.org / 301-442-2249 (C) Statement of Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), On U.S. Senate’s Bipartisan Transportation/ Infrastructure Bill The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act fails…

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Message to Congress From Truck Safety Victim Advocate Jena Frost
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“This November it will be 5 years since Wyatt was killed and my husband and I still think about him every day, and multiple times throughout the day.  We will never stop thinking of the senselessness of that Friday afternoon – that truck driver, that box truck.  Wyatt’s crash proves that these vehicles are just as deadly as the larger trucks, and they are moving by the many thousands through our streets and neighborhoods at all times of the day.  We now have the technology to make sure that, if drivers fail to apply brakes when they should, a truck can apply them automatically with ‘Automatic Emergency Braking,’ or AEB. But the current proposed infrastructure bill doesn’t require all trucks to have that safety device.”

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Message to Congress From Hot Car Incident Victim Advocate Norm Collins Sr., PhD
 504 538 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“I received a phone call from a church friend who informed me that I needed to come to Clarksdale, Mississippi, right away because something had happened to my 3-month-old grandson, Norman Collins III who was affectionately known as ‘Bishop.’ I later learned that Bishop was dead, the victim of heatstroke after being unknowingly left in his parents’ hot car in a church parking lot on a 93-degree Sunday afternoon, due to a miscommunication.  Available technology called for in the Hot Cars Act would have saved his little life and so many others. The need to pass this life-saving legislation is urgent. Children’s lives depend on it.  Please help us to turn our pain into power, our tragedy into triumph, and our agony into positive action.”

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Victim Advocate Messages to Congress About Transportation & Infrastructure Legislation
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On July 22, 2021, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) began sending messages to Congress from family members who have suffered the death or injury of a child, spouse or loved one because of a car or truck crash, hot car incident or seatback failure.  These victim advocates call upon Congress to advance proven auto safety solutions to prevent future tragedies as part of transportation and infrastructure legislation. 

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Message to Congress: Oppose amendments to Division G (THUD) that would jeopardize safety on our nation’s roads
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On July 26, 2021 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a message to Congress opposing anti-safety amendments offered to the U.S. House of Representatives appropriations bill on transportation, housing and urban development (THUD).  To see the list of…

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Message to Congress from Truck Crash Victim Advocate Eileen Kosc
 600 399 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“I was driving home from the beach with my sons, Brandon and Bryan, when a box truck struck our car.  Bryan, who was only seven years old, did not survive…Now is the time to mandate automatic emergency braking (AEB) for ALL trucks.  No exceptions and no excuses.  I call on President Biden to support this crucial upgrade.  We both are Delawareans and we both know the pain and suffering of losing precious family members in a preventable truck crash. Please do this for Bryan and for other families like ours.  It should not be a difficult decision.” 

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Message to Congress from Seatback Failure Victim Advocates Michelle and Jason Fraser
 480 387 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“On behalf of our daughter, Jayden Faith, and the thousands of families that have suffered catastrophic injuries or deaths as a result of preventable seatback failures, today we call on Congress to modernize the seatback standard that for 54 years has failed to protect families like mine.  Far too many families will never see their children or loved ones again because they died because of a seatback collapse.  We hope the Senate will act quickly to finish what the House has started to help spare even one more family from suffering what my family, and too many others like ours, have had to suffer.”

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Message to Congress from crash victim advocate Tammy Huffman
 790 527 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“On May 6, 2013, my husband’s twin brother, Tim Huffman, was killed by a distracted semitruck driver.  Tim was a decorated war veteran with 3 tours in Iraq and had served as a military police officer.  The semitruck driver was on Facebook at the time of the wreck.  The crash into Tim’s police cruiser and subsequent collisions created a wreckage of vehicles that stretched about a mile long – all of which could have been prevented if the truck was equipped with automatic emergency braking (AEB).  I am here today to speak for Tim, for my family and for all roadway users.  We must have safety provisions like universal AEB in place to avoid these preventable tragedies.”

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Message to Congress From ‘Hot Car’ Incident Victim Advocate Angela Jones
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“It breaks our hearts to know that there is affordable, available technology out there that could have detected our little girl, Charly, in my husband’s vehicle and saved her life by sounding an alarm and sending an alert to his phone.  My husband was only 20 feet away from her the entire time she was trapped inside his vehicle.  Had he known, he would have done literally anything to protect her.  The Hot Cars Act, which is part of the House INVEST in America Act, should be passed immediately so that all vehicles come with this life-saving technology.”

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Group Letters to U.S. Senate Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) & House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Transportation and Infrastructure Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As families who have suffered the loss or serious injury of children, spouses and other loved ones in preventable motor vehicle crashes, truck crashes, hot car incidents, and seatback failures, we join with consumer, public health, safety, bicyclist and pedestrian advocates in urging you to ensure that crucial safety advances are included in the final infrastructure bill sent to President Biden.  This is the only way our nation will achieve significant and sustained reductions in the unacceptable and costly death and injury toll caused by motor vehicle crashes.  Unfortunately, the Surface Transportation Investment Act (S. 2016) contains safety placebos instead of the proven and available remedies passed by the House with bipartisan support.

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Group Letter to U.S. Senate Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) on Transportation and Infrastructure Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As families who have suffered the loss or serious injury of children, spouses and other loved ones in preventable motor vehicle crashes, truck crashes, hot car incidents, and seatback failures, we join with consumer, public health, safety, bicyclist and pedestrian advocates in urging you to ensure that crucial safety advances are included in the final infrastructure bill sent to President Biden.  This is the only way our nation will achieve significant and sustained reductions in the unacceptable and costly death and injury toll caused by motor vehicle crashes.  Unfortunately, the Surface Transportation Investment Act (S. 2016) contains safety placebos instead of the proven and available remedies passed by the House with bipartisan support.

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Group Letter to U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Transportation and Infrastructure Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As families who have suffered the loss or serious injury of children, spouses and other loved ones in preventable motor vehicle crashes, truck crashes, hot car incidents, and seatback failures, we join with consumer, public health, safety, bicyclist and pedestrian advocates in urging you to ensure that the safety advances enacted in H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act, are retained in the final infrastructure bill sent to President Biden.  

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Message to Congress From Crash Victim Advocate Amy Cohen
 960 540 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“2,842 days.  Nearly 41 million minutes.  That is how long it has been since I last kissed my kind, adorable 12-year-old son goodbye and then never saw him alive again.  He was in 8th grade and just needed to walk from school to soccer practice.  That should not be a deadly act.  In his memory, I urge Congress to prioritize safety.  It is imperative that vehicles be designed to protect children like mine just trying to get around on our streets.  All vehicles should have automatic emergency braking (AEB) with an ability to detect those walking and biking who are most vulnerable.”

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Members of Congress, Crash Victims & Advocates: Safety Must Be Advanced in Any Transportation/Infrastructure Package
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators continue deliberation on comprehensive infrastructure legislation, today Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), joined by U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), families of truck crash, distracted driving crash, child “hot car” and seatback failure victims, and safety, public health, law enforcement, bicyclist and consumer advocates asserted that the legislation must include vital motor vehicle safety upgrades that will prevent crashes and save lives before being sent to President Biden.

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Virtual Press Conference to Ensure Safety is Advanced in Any Transportation and Infrastructure Package
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) hosted a virtual press conference on July 21, 2021 featuring U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and U.S. Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce Chair Jan…

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MEDIA ALERT: Virtual Press Conference on Ensuring Safety is Advanced in Any Transportation/Infrastructure Package
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), joined by U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and U.S. Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), families of truck crash, distracted driving crash, child “hot car” and seatback failure victims, and safety, public health, law enforcement, bicyclist and consumer advocates will discuss needed safety provisions that should be included in any congressional legislation on transportation and infrastructure.

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Statement on Anti-Safety Amdt. to Transportation Funding Bill
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 16, 2021 CONTACT: Allison Kennedy / akennedy@saferoads.org / 360-281-7033 Statement of Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, in Opposition to Anti-Safety Amendment Adopted to the Fiscal Year 2022 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations…

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Statement on Letter from 18 AGs to Upgrade Child Passenger Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2021 CONTACT: Allison Kennedy  / akennedy@saferoads.org / 360-281-7033 Statement of Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, on the Letter Sent by 18 Attorneys General to Upgrade Child Passenger Safety Advocates for Highway and…

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Action Alert: Improvements Needed to S. 2016
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Deaths are Up.  Action is Needed Now.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates, last year, 38,680 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes.  This marks the largest projected increase in traffic fatalities since 2007 even while…

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Joint Statement on Passage of the INVEST in America Act
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2021 CONTACT: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Allison Kennedy / akennedy@saferoads.org / 360-281-7033 Joint Statement from Consumer, Public Health, Safety, Labor, Bicyclist and Insurance Organizations and Traffic Crash Victim Advocates on Passage of the…

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Statement on New Crash Reporting Requirements for Vehicles Equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving Systems (ADS)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) commends the actions taken today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require auto manufacturers and operators of vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that are rated as Level 2 per the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and vehicles with more sophisticated automated driving system capability (SAE Levels 3 – 5) to report crashes.

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MEDIA ALERT: Schakowsky, Colleagues, Advocates Highlight INVEST in America Act Auto Safety Provisions
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On Wednesday, June 30th, 2021, at 1PM ET, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, will host a press conference to highlight the auto safety provisions included in the INVEST In America Act, the infrastructure package the U.S. House will vote on this week.

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Organizations in support of the Hot Cars Act (H.R. 3164)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The Hot Cars Act (H.R. 3164) requires new vehicles to be equipped with inexpensive, existing technology that can detect the presence of an occupant inside when the engine is off and alert the driver and/or others to prevent hot car injuries and deaths.

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Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Signed Into Law November 15, 2021
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The policies and provisions included in surface transportation reauthorization legislation will determine whether or not our country is put on the path toward significant reductions in motor vehicle crash fatalities and injuries for the next five years and beyond.

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Group Letter & Safety Spotlight on INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The policies and provisions included in this legislation will determine whether or not our country is put on the path toward significant reductions in motor vehicle crash fatalities and injuries for the next five years and beyond.

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Overdue and At-Risk Safety Regulations
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) maintains a list of overdue and at-risk safety regulations that were enacted into law by Congress but have not been advanced by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT).

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Press Conference on the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 (S. 2016)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE – On June 15, 2021 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) joined by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA), families of truck crash, “hot car” and seatback failure victims, safety & consumer advocates, public…

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MEDIA ALERT: Virtual Press Conference on Lack of Needed Safety Upgrades in the U.S. Senate “Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021”
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) joined by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward Markey (D-MA) families of truck crash, “hot car” and seatback failure victims, safety & consumer advocates, public health experts and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters will call on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to include urgently needed safety upgrades in surface transportation legislation scheduled for consideration by the Committee on June 16.

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Statement on Advancement of the INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act (H.R. 3684), passed by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on a bipartisan vote, includes provisions to produce meaningful safety gains, especially in the areas of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and protecting vulnerable road users including pedestrians and bicyclists.

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Statement on the Urgent Need to Upgrade Ohio’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Distracted driving is a destructive and deadly danger on our roadways.  With the evolution of smartphones and the expansion of digital communication platforms in the form of apps, cameras, social media, gaming and more, Ohio’s law needs to be updated to restrict device use and curb distraction behind the wheel.  House Bill (H.B.) 283 would accomplish this goal, and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) urges the state legislature to take swift action to advance it.

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Group Letter to U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Urging Safety Provisions to be Included in Transportation Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As you consider surface transportation reauthorization legislation, we urge you to advance safety solutions that will significantly reduce the motor vehicle crash death and injury toll that imposes a needless emotional and economic burden on our country. You have a unique opportunity to make progress on overdue lifesaving measures and achieve consequential reductions in highway deaths and injuries.

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Safety Scorecard for Amendments to the INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, the Consumer Federation of America, Parents Against Tired Truckers, the Trauma Foundation and Truck Safety Coalition sent a safety scorecard to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for amendments offered during markup of the INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684). 

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Letter in Support of House Bill (HB) 283 to Upgrade Ohio’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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This legislation will improve safety on Ohio roads by upgrading the state’s distracted driving law to primary enforcement, curbing distracting viewing behind the wheel, and adding a ban on handheld mobile device use. Current state law is secondary enforcement which significantly hinders police efforts as they are required to first observe an additional violation before stopping the driver for texting while driving.

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Protecting Roadside First Responders Act (S. 1386/H.R. 2867) Support List
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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More than 25 organizations have signed up so far in 2021 to support the Protecting Roadside First Responders Act (S. 1386/H.R. 2868). Sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL, 17th), the bill would advance performance standards and requirements for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW) and blind spot detection (BSD).

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Joint Statement on House Transportation & Infrastructure’s “INVEST in America Act”
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Today the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released legislation that takes affirmative steps towards a future of safer roads, drivers and vehicles; however, it also includes a significant carve-out from proven safety technology for special trucking interests.  The “INVEST in America Act”, includes numerous provisions that if enacted have the potential to significantly reduce motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.  Yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released data showing 38,680 crash deaths in 2020, representing a 7.2 percent increase and 13-year high despite a drop in the number of miles driven on U.S. roads last year.  The data also showed alarming increases in reckless behavior such as speeding, impaired driving and lack of seat belt use.

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Group Letter to House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on “INVEST in America Act”
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On June 4, 2021, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a group letter to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure about the “INVEST in America Act.”  The letter was signed by groups representing auto safety, consumer rights and highway safety advocates, public health and the victims of fatal truck crashes.

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New York Times Letter to the Editor by Joan Claybrook on Autonomous Vehicles
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Major companies have invested billions of dollars and ignored public warnings by knowledgeable auto executives that futuristic driverless cars will not be ready for public use for years to come.

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Statement on 2020 Motor Vehicle Crash Fatalities
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released new statistics showing that despite less traffic on our roadways in 2020, they were exceedingly deadly.  An estimated 38,680 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020, the largest projected number of traffic fatalities since 2007.  Right now with Congress considering a transportation bill, a strong safety title must be a critical component. 

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Group Letter to U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Teen Trucker Safety Risks
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), citing numerous studies, has stated that “age is a strong risk factor for truck crash involvement.” In fact, age is the most important factor in the high rate of involvement of younger CMV drivers in fatal crashes. The general pattern of over-involvement in fatal crashes for younger CMV drivers dominates all other factors. Studies of young CMV drivers show that as the age of the driver decreases, large truck fatal crash involvement rates increase.

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Group Letter to U.S. Senate Leaders Opposing Thune Amendment on Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As leaders of organizations representing consumer, public health and safety groups, disability rights, child passenger safety, truck safety and traffic crash victim advocates, and law enforcement, medical, and bicycling interests, we are writing to share our concerns about an amendment which may be offered to the U.S. Innovation & Competition Act (S. 1260) by Sen. John Thune (R-SD) that would allow the public sale of tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles (AVs) exempt from meeting existing safety standards.

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Group Letter in Support of .05% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Legislation in New York State, Assembly Bill (A.) 7197/ Senate Bill (S.) 131
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Drunk driving is a deadly and costly threat to New York families. In 2019, there were 931 fatalities on state roads and twenty-nine percent of those deaths (266) involved drunk driving above .08 percent BAC, according to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Traffic crashes also cost New York taxpayers more than $15.2 billion annually. Drunk driving is a serious problem that requires urgent attention and action. Advancing .05 percent BAC legislation will deter dangerous drinking and driving across all levels of impairment as well as curb needless highway deaths and injuries that threaten the safety of everyone – New York families and visitors.

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Letter in Support of House Bill (HB) 565 to Strengthen Louisiana’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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This legislation will improve safety on Louisiana roads by broadening the current prohibition on drivers from using wireless communication devices to include distracting viewing of non-navigational content and manual use. Considering the prevalence of distracted driving crashes, this legislation is critical, responsive and timely.

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Letter to U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearing, “Promises and Perils: The Potential of Automobile Technologies”
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Fully driverless cars may have a future potential to reduce the carnage on our roads, expand mobility and address other transportation and environmental challenges. To do so, commonsense, lifesaving solutions and safeguards can and must be implemented now. While it is true that motor vehicles crashes are often caused by human behavior, it is essential to remember that it is also humans who are developing AVs.

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Letter in Support of Assembly Bill (AB) 118 to Strengthen Nevada’s Child Occupant Protection Statute
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On May 13, 2021 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a letter to the Nevada state Senate in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 118.  The measure would require that children remain rear facing in a child safety seat until age two or older and would add a minimum height requirement for children younger than age six to attain before they transition from use of a booster seat to a seat belt.

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Letter Opposing the Weakening of Maine’s Optimal Seat Belt Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On May 12, 2021, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a letter to the Maine legislature’s Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety urging the Committee to oppose a provision in Legislative Document (LD) 1479 to limit enforcement of Maine’s seat belt law from primary to secondary.

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Press Release on Introduction of the Hot Cars Act in Congress
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Since 1990, nearly 1,000 children have died in hot cars. “Children will continue to die in hot cars until technology is utilized to detect and alert others of their presence inside a vehicle. Education alone will not solve this problem because no one thinks a hot car tragedy can happen to them. That is precisely why technology is necessary. The fact that these systems exist to save the lives of children, but are not being included in all new vehicles is inconceivable,” stated Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety. 

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Message to New Hampshire Senate on Child Passenger Safety Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As leading public health and medical, traffic safety and child safety advocacy organizations, the New Hampshire Emergency Nurses Association, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), and Kids and Car Safety, urge you to support the version of House Bill (HB) 251 prior to being amended in the Senate Transportation Committee to upgrade New Hampshire’s child occupant protection statute.  The amendment would weaken child passenger safety efforts by conducting a study in place of needed improvements.

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Safety Groups Create Automated Enforcement (AE) Checklist
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Red light and speed cameras are powerful enforcement tools that have been shown to reduce crashes, but programs must be carefully implemented to maintain community support.  A new checklist released on May 6, 2021 by AAA, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Safety Council (NSC) can serve as a roadmap for communities that are establishing or expanding automated enforcement programs.

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Statement on National Heatstroke Prevention Day, May 1
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Inexpensive technology to detect the presence of an unattended child in a vehicle and alert to their presence exists today.  The Hot Cars Act, which directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue a rule to make this technology standard equipment in new cars, will soon be reintroduced and Congress should take immediate action to advance it.

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Statement on Protecting Roadside First Responders Act
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The Protecting Roadside First Responders Act directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop safety standards for these crash avoidance technologies and require them in new vehicles.  Currently, these technologies are predominantly available on luxury models or as part of expensive upgrade packages.  The bill addresses this inequity by requiring them across the board.

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Statement for Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing, “Driving Innovation: the Future of Automotive Mobility, Safety, and Technology”
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Fully driverless cars may have a future potential to reduce the carnage on our roads and expand mobility, but commonsense, lifesaving solutions can and must be implemented now. During this transformational time in surface transportation history, we should pay heed to Benjamin Franklin’s infamous quote from 1736, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

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Statement in Support of the Reduce Impaired Driving for Everyone Act (RIDE Act) of 2021
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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We applaud Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Rick Scott (R-FL) for their leadership and dedication to curb impaired driving by introducing the RIDE Act.  This bipartisan legislation answers the urgent call for innovative solutions to meaningfully reduce the more than 10,000 deaths caused by drunk driving each year. 

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Courier News of New Jersey Letter to the Editor on Distracted Driving
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As a driver, bicyclist or pedestrian, it’s nearly impossible to escape being next to drivers whose eyes are glued to screens instead of the road. While public awareness may be heightened during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, distracted driving is a constant, widespread occurrence – a public safety crisis on our roadways.

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Letter to the Michigan House Judiciary Committee on Distracted Driving Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On April 15, 2021 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a letter to the Michigan House Judiciary Committee urging the removal of a provision in House Bill (HB) 4277 to permit an exemption for device use in autonomous vehicles (AV), and supporting HB 4277 and HB 4279. The legislation would improve safety on Michigan roads by broadening the current prohibition on texting while operating a motor vehicle to include social media engagement and distracting viewing or transmitting of video and manual use (HB 4277) and restricting hands free use for novice drivers (HB 4279).

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Letter in Support of Assembly Bill (AB) 550 to Permit the Use of Automated Enforcement Systems in California
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On April 15, 2021 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a letter to the California State Assembly Committee on Transportation in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 550.  The legislation would improve safety on California roads by permitting the use of automated speed enforcement systems, otherwise known as speed cameras.

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Group Letter to President Biden on Ending the Use and Sale of Dangerous Recalled Vehicles by the Federal Government.
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On April 15, 2021 a group letter was sent to President Biden urging an end to the unsafe practice of federal employees using unrepaired recalled vehicles and calling for a prohibition on the public sale of unrepaired recalled federal vehicles. 

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Joint Statement on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Decision Permitting In-Vehicle Sensors to Prevent ‘Hot Car’ Deaths
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Today, the FCC granted waivers to allow equipment manufacturers and automakers to install radar-based technology that can detect and alert to the presence of a child in a vehicle, in some instances movement as subtle as a baby breathing.

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