AAA Arkansas to Support Call for Mandatory Seat Belt Law By Veteran NASCAR Driver Mark Martin

ORLANDO, Fla.--April 18, 2006--Responding to a call last week by veteran NASCAR driver and Arkansas native, Mark Martin, for a mandatory seat belt law in the state, AAA Arkansas today announced it would support passage of primary seat belt during the legislative session beginning in January 2007.

Martin, who drives AAA's No 6 Ford Fusion in this year's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, called on state lawmakers to pass a primary seat belt law during remarks at the opening of his racing museum Friday at the Mark Martin Ford/Mercury dealership in Batesville.

"Mandatory seat belt laws save lives," said Mike Right, vice president of Public Affairs. "Mark is very well respected and well known for his skills as a driver and with his help we'll work with the legislator to get a primary seat belt law passed next year."

Primary enforcement seat belt laws allow police to stop and ticket drivers for not wearing a seat belt, just as they stop other drivers for routine traffic violations. Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have primary seat belts laws on the books and, as of the end of February, 17 states were considering legislation to convert their secondary seat belt laws to primary enforcement laws.

According to Right, the use of seat belts in states with primary seat belt laws is 10 to 15 higher than in states without mandatory laws, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates that nearly 2000 lives a year could be saved and 50,000 injuries prevented if all states adopted these required safety measures.

Martin, who grew up in Arkansas and has been working closely with AAA to promote stronger teen driver safety laws throughout the United States since the beginning of the year, called passage of a primary seat belt law vital to the health and safety of state residents.

"AAA is doing great work in the area of safety," Martin said, "And I'm very excited to be working with AAA on a number of safety issues I'm concerned about."

Speaking to a crowd of fans at the museum opening Friday morning, Martin called on state lawmakers get behind the passage of a primary seat belt law as soon as possible next year.

"If we know mandatory seat belt laws work and we know they save lives, why in the world wouldn't we want that kind of law in Arkansas?" he asked.

AAA is North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization with more than 49 million members. AAA members enjoy exclusive travel, financial, and automotive related services as well as member-only discounts. Since its founding in 1902, the not for profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.

AAA news releases are available online at http://www.aaa.com/news.