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Survey Findings Of Concerns About Highway and Auto Safety

24 September 1999

Pollster Lou Harris to Release National Survey Findings Of Americans' Concerns About Highway and Auto Safety

      New 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. 24 -- Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
issued the following:

    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, safer driver behavior, improved occupant protection, and
enhanced safety engineering of roads and intersections.

    WHEN:   MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1999
            10:00 a.m.

    WHERE:  National Press Club (West Room), 14th and F Streets, N.W.,
            Washington, D.C.

    WHO:  LOU HARRIS, President, Louis Harris Polling.

JUDIE STONE, President, Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety.

JACKIE 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.

ALAN MANESS, Federal Affairs Director, State Farm Insurance Co.

JOAN CLAYBROOK, President of Public Citizen; National Board Member, Advocates
for Highway & Auto Safety.

TODD WAYMON, whose teenaged son Matthew was killed as a passenger in a
multiple fatal crash in July 1998 caused by a teen driver on East-West Highway
in Bethesda, Maryland.

    WHY:  Highway crashes are the No. 1 cause of death and injury of Americans
under age 30. Since 1982, while alcohol-related traffic deaths have dropped by
37%, NON-alcohol-related highway fatalities have increased by 36%. The new
Harris poll will gauge Americans' concerns on a wide range of highway safety
issues, including intersection safety, red light running, pedestrian safety,
sport utility vehicle (SUV) and truck safety, and older and younger drivers.
The latest state-by-state Census data will show how the number of teenage and
older Americans will shift over the next decade.
    The Harris poll will also look at how the public feels about the role of
government in mandating safety standards, the need to update federal auto
safety standards, and level of federal spending on highway and vehicle
safety.  The most recent state-by-state statistics will show the number of
people killed in highway crashes in 1998 and 1997 will be provided.
    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, people buckling up, air bags deploying, rescue
vehicles at crash scenes, teen taking drivers license test and more.
    Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, health and
safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make
America's roads safer.

    FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
    Bill Bronrott, 301-652-6016 or Carolyn Davison, 301-770-5277