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NTSB PRESS RELEASE
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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 25, 2008
SB-08-55
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NTSB CALLS ON STATES TO CONTINUE ADOPTING MOST WANTED
ITEMS AIMED AT IMPROVING HIGHWAY AND BOATING SAFETY
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Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board
said today that, although there were some modest gains in
the past year on several of its Most Wanted safety
improvements directed at State governments, much more needs
to be accomplished before any of the items can be removed
from the list.
At today's press conference, NTSB Members reviewed the
past year's progress in getting States to enact safety
legislation and updated the public on the status of the
State portion of the NTSB's Most Wanted List.
"Well over 90 percent of the nation's transportation
fatalities occur on our roads," NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V.
Rosenker said at the press conference. "Enactment of life-
saving highway legislation is best done at the State level,
and that is why we place so much emphasis on recommendations
to State governments.
"We are particularly mindful of these recommendations
as we enter the heavy holiday travel season."
In addition to the highway issues on the State list,
recommendations aimed at reducing fatalities on our nation's
recreational waterways are also on the Most Wanted List.
The Board kept all existing issue areas on the list.
Improve Child Occupant Protection
From 1998 through 2007, more than 3,500 child
occupants aged 4 to 8 died in traffic crashes, about half of
whom were unrestrained; most of the remaining children were
improperly restrained in a belt designed for adults. The
Board has recommended that children up to the age of 8 be
required to use child restraint systems and booster seats.
Forty three States and the District of Columbia
require use of booster seats, although only 21 States and
D.C. require them up through the age of 7. In 2008, three
States (Massachusetts, Michigan and Utah) enacted child
restraint laws to fully implement this recommendation;
Maryland upgraded its existing law to fully implement the
recommendation. Kentucky and Mississippi enacted child
restraint laws covering children up to age 7. The Board is
still awaiting action by 29 States and three Territories to
fully implement this recommendation.
Primary Seat Belt Laws
Of the 29,000 passenger vehicle occupants who died in
highway crashes in 2007, 54 percent were unrestrained.
Thousands of deaths could have been prevented had everyone
buckled their seat belts. The Board believes that primary
seat belt laws would not only increase the percentage of
occupants who are properly restrained, they would also
further protect children. A study shows that when adults
were wearing their seat belts, 87 percent of children were
also restrained; however, when adults were not wearing seat
belts, only 58 percent of children were restrained.
Currently, 26 States, all five Territories, and the
District of Columbia have enacted primary enforcement laws,
although they apply to all seating positions in only 11
States and D.C. No States enacted primary seat belt laws
this year.
Eliminate Distractions for Young Drivers
Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of
death for 15- through 20-year-olds. An average of 120
youths die in traffic crashes each week, the equivalent of a
major airline disaster every 7 days.
The Board's recommendations in this area have focused
on eliminating factors noted repeatedly in crashes involving
young drivers - risk taking and distractions. For example,
the risk of a crash involving a young driver increases with
each additional teen passenger in the vehicle. The Board
therefore asked States to restrict for at least 6 months or
until issuance of an unrestricted license (whichever is
longer) the number of passengers under age 20 in vehicles
driven by young drivers with provisional licenses. Twenty
four States still need to implement a passenger restriction
that satisfies the Board's recommendations.
The Board has also asked the States to prohibit
holders of learner's permits and intermediate licenses from
using interactive wireless communication devices while
driving. This term includes all kinds of cell phone use,
including text messaging. In 2008, Louisiana enacted such
legislation for persons under age 18. Thirty five States
and the District of Columbia still need to implement
prohibitions that apply both to holders of learner's permits
and to holders of intermediate licenses.
This issue area was called "Promote Youth Highway
Safety," but was renamed to more precisely identify the
goal.
Eliminate Hard Core Drinking Driving
Of the 17,036 alcohol-related highway fatalities in
2007, hard core drinking drivers (repeat offender-drinking
drivers with a prior DWI arrest within the past 10 years or
offenders with a BAC of 0.15 percent or greater) were
involved in almost 54 percent of them. The Board has
recommended a model program involving 11 elements aimed at
keeping hard core drinking drivers off the road. Since the
Board issued this recommendation, at least thirty one States
and the District of Columbia have adopted one or more
elements of the model program. While no State has adopted
all 11 elements, 5 States (California, New Hampshire, Ohio,
Utah and Virginia) have made sufficient progress for the
Board to close the recommendation to them. No other States
took sufficient action in 2008 to join these States.
Enhance Recreational Boating Safety
Of the 685 persons who died in recreational boating
accidents in 2007, 476 drowned; of those, 90 percent were
not wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs). Also, in
most States, a person does not need to demonstrate any
proficiency before operating a recreational boat. The Board
has recommended that States require children to wear PFDs,
require a demonstration of operator knowledge of safe
boating rules and skills, and require operator licensing.
Since this recommendation was issued in 1993, more
than half of the States have enacted legislation or taken
other action consistent with the Board's recommendations.
With the exceptions of Virginia and Wisconsin, all States,
the District of Columbia and two Territories require
mandatory PFD use for children, and 36 States, DC and two
Territories require mandatory education. Only Alabama
requires an operator license.
One recreational boating recommendation was removed
from the Most Wanted List. Most States have adopted the
Board's recommendation that would require rental
establishments to provide safety training to those renting
personal watercraft (PWC), and ensure that those renters
should demonstrate their ability to operate and control
PWCs.
Acting Chairman Rosenker noted that five States -
Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota -
have adopted the fewest number of Most Wanted items. In
contrast, four States have adopted more elements on the Most
Wanted List than any others - New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee
and Washington. However, "New Jersey and Tennessee have not
shown the same level of leadership when it comes to
implementing elements of the Board's model program to reduce
hard core drinking driving. I challenge the Governors of
those States to close this gap in the coming year."
Maps and tables providing State-by-State details for
each of the recommendations can be found on the Board's
website http://ntsb.gov/Recs/mostwanted/state_issues.htm.
- 30 -
NTSB Media Contacts: (202) 314-6100
Primary Seat Belt Laws - Terry Williams
Eliminate Distractions for Young Drivers - Keith Holloway
Improved Child Occupant Protection - Bridget Serchak
Hard Core Drinking Driving - Peter Knudson
Recreational Boating Safety - Keith Holloway
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