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Statement on Pedestrian Safety Month
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2022 CONTACT: Allison Kennedy / akennedy@saferoads.org / 360-281-7033 (C) Statement from Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, on Pedestrian Safety Month (October 2022) Pedestrian fatalities spiked 13 percent last year following multiyear…

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Statement on New Study from IIHS on Impaired Driving
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 20, 2022 CONTACT: Allison Kennedy / akennedy@saferoads.org / 360-281-7033 (C) Statement of Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on New Study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on Impaired Driving…

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Statement on Traffic Fatality Increases in First Half of 2022
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2022 CONTACT: Allison Kennedy / akennedy@saferoads.org / 360-281-7033 (C) Statement of Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on Traffic Fatality Increases in First Half of 2022 Today, the National Highway Traffic…

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Labor Day Weekend Statement
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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This Labor Day, Advocates thanks all workers whose “office” is the roadway and calls upon NHTSA to reduce the horrific fatality and injury toll with swift action on comprehensive requirements for lifesaving technology.

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New York Times Letter to the Editor: Go Slow on Driverless Cars
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On August 28, 2022 the New York Times published a letter to the editor by Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) and Joan Claybrook, former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): “Go Slow on Driverless Cars.”

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Petition for Reconsideration of the Final Rule on Rear Impact Guards
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Petitioners request a stay of the effective date of the Final Rule until the Administrator can render a decision on this Petition for Reconsideration. In sum, the Final Rule is not in the public interest and failed to properly consider available data and testing resulting in NHTSA issuing an inadequate and dangerous performance standard for underride guards.

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Letter to the Editor: San Francisco Shows Need for AV Regulation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Excerpt: “San Francisco offers an early glimpse into the likely treacherous course of AV technology in the absence of a thorough and deliberate process that addresses known dangers and unintended consequences posed by wide-scale deployment. Thorough data collection and transparency combined with standards that establish a baseline for safety are essential. Policymakers should heed the experience in San Francisco, and other known failures and crashes across the country, to comprehensively address AV safety through regulation and oversight.”

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Statement on First Quarter Traffic Fatality Increases in 2022
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The escalating emergency on our roads is an urgent call to action.  President Joe Biden, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg, NHTSA Administrator Steve Cliff and their teams must advance proven and available solutions immediately.

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Safety Groups Urge Swift Nomination of a New NHTSA Administrator
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Safety group letter sent by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, AAA, GHSA, MADD and NSC to President Joe Biden (D).

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Advocates and Kids and Car Safety Urge Action on MA CPS Bills
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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See our letter to Massachusetts Senate and House leadership urging action on S. 1592/A. 2446.

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Statement on National Stop on Red Week 2022
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates commends National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) President Melissa Wandall for her ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the dangers posed by red light running and the need to advance proven solutions to curb this persistent threat on our roadways.  In 2020, 928 people were killed in red light running crashes, half of which were pedestrians, bicyclists and people in vehicles other than the vehicle running the red light.  Red light running is a serious issue in need of substantiated solutions.

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Statement Opposing Legislation to Stop Impaired Driving Prevention Technology Rulemaking
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) strongly opposes legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), Mike Braun (R-IN) and John Cornyn (R-TX), S.4647*, that would eliminate one of the most important safety provisions in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Pub. L. 117-58).  The IIJA, which was signed into law last November, directs the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a rule requiring impaired driving prevention technology in new passenger motor vehicles by 2024.  Research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) finds that such technology could save more than 9,000 lives every year if widely deployed.  S.4647 would halt progress toward requiring this lifesaving technology as standard equipment and must be rejected by Congress.

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Advocates Urges Swift Implementation of Vehicle & Roadway Safety Measures in Letter to U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The safety advances included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and continued action on other Congressionally mandated safety countermeasures must be implemented by the U.S. DOT in a comprehensive and expeditious manner.

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Statement on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Final Rule on Rear Underride Guards for Trailers and Semi-Trailers
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Today the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a final rule on safety standards for rear underride guards for trailers and semi-trailers.  The result of the rulemaking process, which was initiated in 2015, is a completely inadequate standard that will make road users less safe and undermines the Biden Administration’s stated goal of working towards zero roadway deaths.

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Statement Opposing Amendment to FY 2023 Appropriations Bill Degrading Truck Safety Rules
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Today, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations adopted an amendment as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and Related Agencies funding bill that will exacerbate known safety dangers associated with large trucks.  The amendment, offered by Representative Steve Womack (R-AR) and passed by the Committee on a voice vote, exempts livestock and insect haulers from a rule requiring the use of electronic logging devices (ELD).

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Statement on July 4th Travel and Roadway Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Crowded highways which continue to be plagued by increases in reckless driving are a recipe for disaster.  Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) urges swift action at both the federal and state levels on proven safety measures to reduce crashes, prevent injuries and save lives.

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Response to Washington Post Editorial on Safety Concerns with Automated Driving Technology
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The deadly state of our roadways requires swift action by NHTSA to address known safety threats, such as those identified in The Washington Post’s editorial, while also promulgating standards for proven advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

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Statement on FY 2023 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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As the appropriations process moves forward, it is imperative that current safety protections be preserved.  Special interest carve-outs for segments of the trucking industry have no place “riding” on an important funding bill.

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Statement on New Rule Improving Child Passenger Safety and Proposed Rule on the Operation of Event Data Recorders (EDR)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Today the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) took the commendable steps of issuing a Final Rule on side impact protection for children seated in child restraints and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the operation of event data recorders (EDR), devices that provide invaluable information about motor vehicle crashes.  Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) urges the agency to continue working to address the existing backlog of overdue congressionally mandated vehicle safety rules and move forward expeditiously on vehicle safety directives in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Pub. L. 117-58).

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Joint Press Release on NHTSA’s Release of Crash Data Involving Vehicles with Automated Driving Technology
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Today safety leaders in Congress as well as safety and bicycle advocates applauded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for taking the necessary step of releasing crash data on vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that are rated as Level 2 per SAE International and vehicles with automated driving system (ADS) capabilities (SAE Levels 3 – 5).

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Press Conference on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Release of Data on Crashes Involving Vehicles with Automated Driving Technology
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On June 15, 2022, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), joined by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Edward Markey (D-MA), U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), the League of American Bicyclists and former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Joan Claybrook discussed the release of data on crashes involving vehicles equipped with partial or fully automated driving technology. 

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MEDIA ALERT: Members of Congress and Safety and Bicyclist Advocates to Address the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Data Release on Crashes Involving Vehicles Equipped with Partial or Fully Automated Driving Technology
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), joined by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Edward Markey (D-MA), U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), the League of American Bicyclists and former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Joan Claybrook will discuss the release of data on crashes involving vehicles equipped with partial or fully automated driving technology.

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Comments Submitted to the Federal Register on Upgrades to the U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On June 8, 2022 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) filed comments to the federal register detailing proposed upgrades to the U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).  The comments describe in great detail how NCAP can be improved to achieve its stated purpose of educating consumers on vehicle safety and incentivizing automakers to improve the safety of their products.

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Advocates Urges Congress to Prioritize Infrastructure Upgrades and Proven Vehicle Safety Technology in Letter Submitted to House Hearing on Roadway Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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We laud the Subcommittee for holding this hearing as the recent data released from NHTSA illustrates the depth of the public health crisis on America’s roads. Infrastructure upgrades coupled with proven vehicle safety technology can help to improve these grim statistics. We look forward to continuing to work with the Members of this Subcommittee to improve public safety.

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Advocates Urges California Lawmakers to Upgrade the State’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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This legislation will improve the current graduated driver licensing (GDL) law for novice young drivers by requiring participation in the state’s program by older teen and young adult novice drivers up to age 21. California law only covers teenagers up to age 18, leaving other at-risk young novice drivers, and all those who share the roads with them, unnecessarily exposed to a high risk of preventable crashes.

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New Jersey High School Students Urge Lawmakers to Upgrade the State’s Seat Belt Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On May 26, 2022, the Bergen Record of New Jersey published a letter to the editor penned by student members of Indian Hills High School’s “Click Clack Front and Back” club.  The letter highlights the serious issue of traffic safety and urges New Jersey lawmakers to upgrade the state’s seat belt law to primary enforcement for all vehicle occupants.

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Statement on Memorial Day Travel and Roadway Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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During the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend, more than 39 million people are expected to drive 50 miles or more from home, according to AAA. The predicted increase means miles traveled by car may reach near pre-pandemic levels. This forecast coupled with the announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that nearly 43,000 people died on U.S. roadways in 2021 must serve as a blaring cautionary alarm to all those who will be driving, biking, walking or rolling this coming weekend.

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Statement on 2021 Crash Fatalities and the Growing Public Health Crisis on U.S. Roadways
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The latest fatality estimates released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirm that our nation experienced a horrific spike of motor vehicle crash deaths on our roadways.  Last year, 42,915 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, a 10.5 percent increase from 2020, and the highest amount since 2005.  Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) agrees with NHTSA Deputy Administrator Dr. Steven Cliff, who is calling this crisis on our roadways “urgent and preventable.”  An equally urgent response to advance vehicle and roadway safety upgrades is needed.

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Advocates Urges New York State Senate to Enact Used Car Safety Bill
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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This legislation will help eliminate the dangerous and potentially deadly problem of unrepaired recalls which is especially critical as vehicle safety recalls continue to proliferate. Nearly 35 million vehicles were subject to recall in 2021, according to the latest data available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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Advocates Urges California Lawmakers to Enact Legislation to Improve the State’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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AB 2388 is timely legislation to help curb traffic fatalities as a significant number of teens today are delaying obtaining a driver’s license and, consequently, are not benefitting from GDL programs according to research by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CHOP CIRP) and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

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Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Congressman Norman Mineta
 552 363 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 Norman Mineta.  His contributions as a member of Congress from California, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) during the George W. Bush Administration, and beyond leave an eternal safety legacy.

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Group Letter on FY 2023 U.S. Department of Transportation Budget
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Highway crashes impose a tremendous cost burden on society estimated to exceed one trillion dollars annually. Sufficient funding and resources for NHTSA can be the catalyst for implementing effective safety countermeasures to prevent crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.

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Statement on Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, an annual event to focus on reducing the persistent death and injury toll due to motorcycle crashes.  In 2020, the number of motorcycle riders killed, 5,579, was the largest in a single year since data collection began in 1975.  This was also an alarming 11 percent increase from 2019 and accounted for 14 percent of all roadway deaths. 

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Leading up to National Heatstroke Prevention Day (May 1), Members of Congress, Safety Advocates and Families Affected by Hot Car Deaths Stress the Urgent Need for Effective Hot Car Technology
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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In November 2021, IIJA was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.  It includes a provision that addresses hot car tragedies by requiring an ‘audio and visual reminder alert to check the back seat’ in new passenger vehicles. Unfortunately, the provision does not specify the requirement for the system to detect a child alone in a vehicle. Without detection, a system will be inadequate. A reminder alert alone falls short of what is needed to prevent hot car deaths and injuries and creates a false sense of security for families.

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Remarks by Cathy Chase at Press Conference on Occupant Detection and Alert Technology to Prevent Hot Car Deaths and Injuries
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Safety technology that detects and alerts to the presence of unattended children must be required as standard equipment on all new passenger vehicles. Absent requiring that new cars be equipped with a system to detect occupants in the whole passenger compartment, children will continue to be imperiled and families will be left with a false sense of security.

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Media Alert: Press Conference on Advancing the Child Protection “Hot Cars” Mandate in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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With temperatures rising as summer quickly approaches, the risk is even greater. Cost-effective safety solutions are readily available that can reduce these grim numbers. In preparation for National Heatstroke Prevention Day on May 1st, we must intensify our efforts and leverage the promise of safety technology to prevent these predictable tragedies.

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Maryland Takes Action to Upgrade Child Passenger Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On April 22, 2022, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) signed Senate Bill (SB) 176 into law, strengthening Maryland’s child occupant protection statute.  This law requires children to remain rear facing in a child safety seat until age two or older or until they outgrow the specifications of the safety seat.

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Advocates Urges California Lawmakers to Pass Drunk Driving Legislation
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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SB 1021 would add sensible safeguards to the current law by limiting diversion agreements to first time offenders once every ten years, requiring use of ignition interlock devices IIDs by diversion participants and first-time offenders not granted diversion, and impose a compliance-based removal of the IID.

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Group Letters Urge New York State Legislature to Support Legislation Lowering the Alcohol-Impaired Driving Limit to .05% BAC
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On April 1, 2022 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and a broad group of stakeholders sent letters to the Transportation Committees in the New York State Legislature urging support for Senate Bill (S.) 131 and Assembly Bill (A.) 7197, which would lower the alcohol-impaired driving limit in the state to .05 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC). 

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Statement on New Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Ratings Program for Seat Belt Reminders
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) commends the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for implementing a new ratings program on seat belt reminder systems in passenger vehicles.  The evaluations provide invaluable information to consumers seeking the safest seat belt reminder systems.  The IIHS estimates up to 1,500 lives a year could be saved by improved seat belt reminders.

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Statement on Distracted Driving Awareness Month
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) calls on state legislatures and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to confront distracted driving head-on and eradicate a leading contributor to crash deaths on our nation’s roads.  In 2020, motor vehicle crash fatalities skyrocketed including 3,142 people killed in crashes involving distraction, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 

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Selective Insurance and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Release National Survey Leading into Distracted Driving Awareness Month
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Nearly three-quarters (70%) of licensed drivers used a mobile device while driving for personal reasons in the past 90 days, according to a new survey commissioned by Selective Insurance (“Selective”) and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (“Advocates”) and conducted online by The Harris Poll earlier this month among over 2,000 U.S. adults, of whom over 1,800 are licensed drivers. This alarmingly high number rose even further among Americans who drive for work, with 86% reporting mobile device use when driving for work in the last three months.

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Advocates & Kids and Car Safety Urge Missouri Lawmakers to Pass Legislation Upgrading the State’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Missouri is one of only two states that has yet to enact a ban on texting for all drivers. The state also has not taken action to further restrict mobile device use by novice, inexperienced young drivers. More can and should be done to reduce the prevalence of visual, manual and cognitive driver distraction caused by device use.

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Advocates Urges the Louisiana House of Representatives to Upgrade the State’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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While Louisiana has taken steps to deter this deadly conduct by enacting a prohibition on texting behind the wheel and on the use of devices by novice, young drivers, more can and should be done to reduce the prevalence of visual, manual and cognitive driver distraction caused by device use.

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Advocates Urges Senate Commerce Committee to Reject Anti-Safety Truck Amendments to the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (S. 3580)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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In 2020, nearly 5,000 people were killed in crashes involving a large truck.  Since 2009, the number of fatalities in large truck crashes has increased by 47 percent.  Additionally, nearly 147,000 people were injured in crashes involving a large truck that same year.  The cost to society from crashes involving large trucks and buses was estimated to be $163 billion in 2019, the latest year for which data is available.  Truck driving is one of the most dangerous occupations. 

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Statement on New Research Showing Large Passenger Vehicle Dangers to Pedestrians in Intersections
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Walking across the street should not be a death-defying act.  The data presented by IIHS strengthens the case for adoption of the Safe System Approach to protect pedestrians and other vulnerable road users (VRUs), especially given trends in the U.S. passenger fleet toward larger vehicles and the historically high number of pedestrians killed in 2020, 6,500.

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Safety Groups Urge Maryland Lawmakers to Reject Bill That Would Repeal the State’s All-Rider Motorcycle Helmet Requirement
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On March 15, 2022, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), the Emergency Nurses Association (MDENA), Partnership for a Safer Maryland and the Skilled Motorcyclist Association – Responsible, Trained and Educated Riders, Inc. (SMARTER), submitted a statement to the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee opposing Senate Bill (SB) 745, legislation that would repeal Maryland’s all-rider motorcycle helmet law.

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Statement on Revisions to Rules for Protecting Occupants in Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems (ADS)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Streamlining compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for auto manufacturers should not sacrifice the safety of everyone in and around the cars they’re selling.  At a bare minimum, vehicles with ADS must be required to provide the same levels of occupant protection required in passenger vehicles.

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Statement on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Actions on Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Testing Rules
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Truck driving is one of the most dangerous professions in the U.S.  In this exceedingly hazardous roadway environment, policy makers should be advancing proven solutions to enhance large truck safety.  Today’s actions by the FMCSA ended two ill-conceived and unsafe proposals.  Advocates looks forward to additional actions by the Agency to address the preventable carnage experienced on our streets and highways.

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Joint Statement on Proposed Update of U.S. NCAP
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 3, 2022 CONTACT: Allison Kennedy / Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety / akennedy@saferoads.org / 360-281-7033 (C) Joint Statement on Proposed Update of U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…

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Statement on on 2020 Crash Deaths and Injuries Report
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Each of the 38,824 persons killed leaves tremendous voids in the lives of their loved ones, their children, parents, spouses, friends and communities.  There is no excuse for inaction or delay by our federal and state leaders.

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Advocates Urges California Lawmakers to Upgrade the State’s Graduated Driver Licensing Law (GDL)
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On March 1, 2022, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a letter to the California Assembly Committee on Transportation, urging support for Assembly Bill (AB) 2388.  This legislation would improve the current graduated driver licensing (GDL) law for novice teen drivers by requiring participation in the state’s program by older teen and young adult novice drivers up to age 21.  California law only covers teenagers up to age 18.

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Advocates and the Skilled Motorcyclist Association Urge Tennessee Lawmakers to Preserve the State’s All-Rider Motorcycle Helmet Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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For nearly 55 years, this critical law has been preventing deaths and injuries and saving taxpayer dollars in Tennessee. To repeal the all-rider helmet law would be a deadly and costly mistake.

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Advocates Urges Missouri Senate to Upgrade the State’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On February 25, 2022 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a letter to the Missouri Senate Committee on Transportation, Safety and Infrastructure urging support for Senate Bill (SB) 713 to curb distracted driving.  Missouri is one of only two states that has yet to enact a ban on texting for all drivers.  Nor has the state taken action to further curb use by novice, inexperienced young drivers. 

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Advocates Urges Maryland General Assembly to Upgrade Child Passenger Safety Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)). Maryland’s current child passenger safety law requires children under age seven and less than 57 inches in height to use a child safety seat. Since that law was enacted, new research has been conducted and best practices in child passenger protection have been updated, calling for requirements that make further specifications related to stages of physical development from infancy through early childhood.

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Advocates Urges Alabama to Upgrade its Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On February 22, 2022, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a letter to the leadership of the Alabama House of Representatives urging lawmakers to upgrade the state’s distracted driving laws.  While Alabama has taken steps to deter this deadly conduct by enacting a prohibition on texting behind the wheel and on the use of devices by novice, young drivers, more can and should be done to reduce the prevalence of visual, manual and cognitive driver distraction caused by device use.

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Statement on Updated Safety Standard Permitting Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) Technology
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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While this action is overdue and much needed, the lack of a requirement for ADB in the final rule means widespread deployment will be unnecessarily protracted and automakers can continue to upcharge for the safer headlamps limiting access to those who can afford the additional expense.

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Group Letter Urges Support for Legislation Upgrading Kentucky’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On February 17, 2022, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent a group letter to the Kentucky House Standing Committee on Banking and Insurance Members urging support for House Bill (HB) 258 which would upgrade the state’s distracted driving law.

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Group Letter Urges Support for Legislation in Hawaii Lowering the Limit of Alcohol-Impaired Driving to .05 Percent Blood Alcohol Concentration
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On February 17, 2022 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Adv0cates) sent a group letter to the Hawaii Senate Committee on Judiciary urging support for Senate Bill (SB) 2096 and House Bill (HB) 1437, legislation that would lower the limit of alcohol-impaired driving in Hawaii to .05 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

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Statement on on New Government Evaluation Confirming Utah’s .05 Percent Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Law Deters Drunk Driving and Saves Lives
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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A new study released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides convincing and compelling evidence that lowering the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit from .08 to .05 percent reduces motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Urges the Kentucky House of Representatives to Upgrade the State’s Distracted Driving Law
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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On February 8, 2022, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) urged the Kentucky House of Representatives to support House Bill (HB) 258 to upgrade Kentucky’s distracted driving law and prevent deaths, injuries and related costs.  Laws curbing driver distraction must be updated to keep pace with the technology and ensuing distraction. 

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Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), Testifies Before Congress on Autonomous Vehicle Safety
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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“The lack of strong government oversight, effective regulations, and industry accountability must change.  Automated technology has the potential to be transformative in reducing our nation’s mounting highway death and injury toll.  This Subcommittee and Congress can lead the way to accomplish this goal with targeted legislative directives requiring regulatory and industry actions to address identified problems.”

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Statement on Alarming Crash Death Increases in 2021
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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During the first nine months of 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates 31,720 people have been killed in motor vehicle crashes.  These figures are a national tragedy and require immediate action by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) which is responsible for ensuring our roadways are safe.  Proven and available solutions must be advanced without delay.

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Statement on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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The National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) released today is a step in the right direction to actively address what U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg has accurately called a “crisis” of rising crash fatalities.  The DOT’s commitment to zero fatalities means zero room for hesitation and inaction.

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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
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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
 150 150 Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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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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