Pollster Lou Harris to Release National Survey Findings Of Americans' Concerns About Highway and Auto Safety
14 September 1999
Pollster Lou Harris to Release National Survey Findings Of Americans' Concerns About Highway and Auto SafetyNew Harris Poll Gauges the Public's Fears About Red Light Running, Pedestrian Safety, Older and Younger Drivers, Sport Utility Vehicles and Weak Car Safety Standards Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety to Mark 10-Year Anniversary by Issuing Recommendations to Shift Road and Vehicle Safety into High Gear in the 21st Century WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 -- WHAT: NEWS CONFERENCE where national pollster Lou Harris and Advocates For Highway & Auto Safety will (1) release the findings of a new nationwide Harris survey of Americans' views on a wide range of highway and auto Safety problems, and (2) unveil a report called "Stuck in Neutral: Recommendations for Shifting the Highway and Auto Safety Agenda into High Gear" in the 21st century that will provide 80 fixes for greater vehicle design safety, improved driver behavior and occupant protection, and enhanced safety engineering of roads and intersections. WHEN: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 9:30 a.m. WHERE: National Press Club (Murrow-White-Lisagor rooms), 14th and F Sts., NW, Washington, D.C. WHO: * LOU HARRIS, President, Louis Harris Polling. * JUDITH LEE STONE, President, Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety. * JACQUELINE GILLAN, Vice President, Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety, who was injured last year in a crash caused by a red light runner at a Maryland intersection. * HERMAN BRANDAU, Associate General Counsel, State Farm Insurance; Co-Chair, Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety. * JOAN CLAYBROOK, President of Public Citizen; National Board Member, Advocates. WHY: Highway crashes are the No. 1 cause of death and disabling injury of Americans under age 30. Over the past two decades, while alcohol-related traffic deaths have dropped by nearly 40%, NON-alcohol-related highway fatalities have increased by more than 35%. The new Harris poll will gauge Americans' concerns on a wide range of highway safety issues, including intersection safety, red light running, pedestrian safety, older and younger drivers, sport utility vehicles (SUV) and truck safety, and more. The Harris poll will also show how the public feels about the role of government in mandating safety standards, the need to revamp federal motor vehicle safety standards, and level of federal spending on highway and auto safety. B-ROLL VIDEO will be available to TV news crews containing footage of drivers running red lights, SUV rollover crashes, older and younger drivers, pedestrians at crosswalks, car occupants buckling up, air bags deploying, rescue vehicles at car crash scenes, teen taking drivers license test at motor vehicle administration. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America's roads safer.