[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 141 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PUT THE BRAKES ON FATALITIES DAY

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                             HON. JIM RYUN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Mr. RYUN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to call attention 
to the leading cause of death in the United States for people ages 6 to 
25, traffic accidents all attention to an important step we can take to 
combat this disturbing trend.
  The roadways of this nation have become a remarkably dangerous and 
costly place. A few stunning statistics on roadway accidents clearly 
show just how dangerous and costly they have become. The number of 
fatalities from traffic crashes increased in 2002 to almost 43,000 
deaths--a death every 13 minutes--a rate not seen since 1990. Overall, 
almost 3,000,000 people are injured every year in traffic crashes and 
the financial cost of these deaths and injuries, beyond the pain and 
suffering they cause to victims and their families, is over $230 
billion per year.
  Most surprising of all, though, is that there are simple ways to 
improve the safety of our roads. Most traffic accidents can be 
prevented with common sense from drivers, such as wearing seatbelts, 
and cost-effective improvements to roadways. With these simple 
solutions in mind, I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 388, 
expressing the sense that Congress and the President should establish 
``Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day'' to encourage safer driving and 
safer roadways.
  ``Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day,'' which is widely recognized on 
October 10th, is already supported by 40 national engineering, highway, 
and safety organizations, and several states have already organized 
very successful ``Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day'' campaigns.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you to imagine one single day with zero traffic 
fatalities; a day that would save well over 100 American lives. With 
just a few simple steps, we can make American roads safer, and we can 
help ``put the brakes on fatalities.''

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