John Warner U.S. Senator, Safety Advocates to Urge Passage Of National Seat Belt Legislation

          National Highway Safety Act Would Prod States to Enact
              Lifesaving Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Laws
                      Or Achieve a 90% Belt Use Rate

  WHAT:   NEWS CONFERENCE where U.S. Senator John Warner (R-VA) will be
          joined by safety advocates to urge passage of the National Highway
          Safety Act of 2003 (S. 1993).  The bill encourages each state to
          enact a primary enforcement seat belt law or raise their seat belt
          use rate to 90 percent.  If a state fails to accomplish one or the
          other, they face the loss of a portion of their federal highway
          funding.

          Supporters of the bill will try to add it to the TEA-21 surface
          transportation reauthorization bill.  Over 130 national, state and
          local groups representing consumer, health, safety, medical, child
          advocacy, insurance, auto industry, law enforcement, African-
          American Mayors and State Legislators, and drunk driving victims
          are backing this legislation.

  WHEN:   MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2004 at 2:00 pm ET

  WHERE:  Room 236, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.

  WHO:
          -- U.S. Senator John W. Warner (R-Virginia)
          -- State Representative Steve Jones (D-Arkansas), Chair, National
             Black Caucus of State Legislators' Committee on Transportation
          -- Wendy Hamilton, National President, Mothers Against Drunk
             Driving
          -- Phil Haseltine, President, Automotive Coalition for Traffic
             Safety
          -- Alan Maness, Federal Affairs Director, State Farm Insurance
             Companies
          -- Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen
          -- Kristen Appleby, sister of Tennessee fatal crash victim who was
             unbuckled
          -- American Medical Association representative
          -- Dana G. Schrad, Executive Director, Virginia Association of
             Chiefs of Police

  WHY:    Over each of the past five years, the number of motor vehicle
          occupants killed in crashes has risen.  Today, only 20 states and
          D.C. have a primary enforcement seat belt law, despite research
          showing that such a law raises a state's seat belt use rate by 10-
          15 percentage points.  Primary enforcement means that law
          enforcement officers may issue a citation any time they observe an
          unbelted occupant.  Under a weaker secondary enforcement law,
          officers may issue a safety belt citation only if the officer has
          stopped the vehicle for some other reason.  Seat belts save 13,000
          lives each year, but 7,000 people die because they do not use seat
          belts, according to U.S. DOT.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (www.saferoads.org) is an alliance of consumer, health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America's roads safer. Founded in 1989, Advocates encourages the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that save lives and reduce injuries.