NTSB CHAIRMAN ROSENKER RECOGNIZES ALASKA FOR ENACTING TWO HIGHWAY SAFETY LAWS

[NTSB Press Releases <NTSBPressReleases@xxxxxxxx>]

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                      NTSB PRESS RELEASE
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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 25, 2006
SB-06-46

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NTSB CHAIRMAN ROSENKER RECOGNIZES ALASKA FOR ENACTING TWO 
HIGHWAY SAFETY LAWS

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Washington, DC - National Transportation Safety Board 
Chairman Mark Rosenker will present State Safety Leadership 
Awards to the State of Alaska and four state legislators for 
adopting a graduated driver licensing law for young drivers 
and a primary safety belt use law.  There will be two 
ceremonies to honor legislators.  The first will take place 
at 10:30 am in Anchorage on August 28, 2006 at the State 
Crime Lab, 5500 East Tudor Road, and the other event in 
Fairbanks at 9:00 am on August 30, 2006 at the Fairbanks 
Police Department, 911 Cushman Street.

        "This is very exciting to celebrate both legislative 
leadership and adoption of proven measures that will save 
lives of Alaska's most precious resource, its people," 
Rosenker said.

        Alaska had one of the nation's weakest licensing laws 
for young drivers.      Although teen drivers make up only 
7.24 percent of the driving population in Alaska, they were 
involved in 15.7 percent of all highway fatalities in 2003.  
Data from 2004 indicate a slight decrease in teen fatalities 
that is expected to continue as the law affects more young 
drivers.  Alaska's comprehensive graduated driver licensing 
law includes a 3-stage system so that young drivers can 
develop skills in a safer environment and "graduate" to the 
next phase and to full licensure.   

        Alaska's belt use rate of 76.7% in 2004 was worse than 
that of 30 other States and consistently below the national 
average.  There was a slight increase in 2005.  With the 
secondary enforcement restrictions now removed from the belt 
use law, the use rate should increase and fatalities decrease 
as they have in 24 other States with primary safety belt 
enforcement. 

        The following will be honored at the ceremony in 
Anchorage: Senator Con Bunde; Representative Lesil McGuire; 
and Representative Bruce Weyhrauch.  Senator Ralph Seekins 
will be honored at the ceremony in Fairbanks
 
        "Preventing highway crashes, fatalities, and injuries 
is everyone's business.  We need to take advantage of these 
new laws and seek to build a new consensus that highway 
safety is a public priority, so that reducing traffic 
crashes receives ongoing attention and resources," said 
Rosenker.

        Graduated driver licensing has been on the Safety 
Board's Most Wanted list of safety recommendations since 
1994; primary safety belt laws have been on the list since 
1998.



NTSB Media Contact:  Keith Holloway, (202) 314-6100
hollowk@xxxxxxxx 






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