[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17367-17368]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF ``INTELLIGENT VEHICLE HIGHWAY SAFETY ACT OF 2004''

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PHILIP M. CRANE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, every year, 42,000 deaths occur on our 
highways. Together with 6 million accidents and 5.2 million injuries, 
the comprehensive cost to our Nation is more than $400 billion per 
year. The great cost in human lives these statistics demonstrate is the 
reason why today I offer bipartisan legislation that will assist in the 
reduction of these tragedies on our Nation's roadways.
  Driver error is cited as the cause of 90 percent of these accidents. 
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified road traffic deaths as a 
worldwide public health issue, and dedicated this year's World Health 
Day theme to road safety.
  A variety of technologies that could help drivers to avoid crashes 
have already been developed. These ``intelligent vehicle technologies'' 
help by warning drivers of impending collisions or compensate for other 
forms of driver error. While these devices are beginning to be deployed 
on some automobiles and commercial vehicles, this is happening far too 
slowly.
  The Federal Highway Administration's stated goal for highway safety 
is to achieve of a 20 percent reduction in vehicle-related fatalities 
and injuries by 2008. Intelligent vehicle technologies represent the 
single best opportunity to help us achieve that goal. The Federal 
Government has long invested in traditional methods of improving 
highway safety, through the construction of safer roads or through 
encouraging and then mandating the use of seatbelts. No less important 
is helping to ensure that automobiles and trucks on our roads are 
equipped with the latest in these safety technologies.
  That is why I have introduced the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Safety 
Act, which will accelerate the adoption of these technologies, not by 
regulation, but rather by encouraging consumers to purchase safer 
vehicles through providing incentives. Vehicles equipped with these 
life-saving technologies have been shown to reduce accidents anywhere 
from 40 percent to 60 percent.
  My legislation would provide an above-the-line deduction on income 
tax returns for the cost of purchasing intelligent vehicle technology 
(IVT) equipment in their passenger vehicles. Businesses that purchase 
heavy trucks equipped with IVT would be allowed to exempt a portion of 
this equipment's cost from the Federal Excise Tax (FET). The intent of 
this legislation is to provide a broad based tax incentive to 
individuals and businesses that purchase vehicles equipped with IVT 
safety equipment
  Intelligent Vehicle Technologies comprise the range of smart products 
that enhance safety for drivers, including lane departure warnings, 
roll stability systems, automatic crash notification systems, workload 
managers and telematics equipment. The relatively small cost to the 
Treasury for this legislation is an investment that will save thousands 
of lives each year. Deployment of IVT will have other benefits as well: 
accident reduction will reduce injuries, limit property damage and 
mitigate traffic congestion and its accompanying pollution.
  To illustrate, let's take a snap shot of how these technologies could 
impact the every day lives of American motorists across the Nation. In 
the New York-Northeast New Jersey area, area residents spend on average 
422 million hours each year in traffic related delays. Since 1982 the 
percent of daily travel time spent in congestion increased from 14 
percent to 34 percent in 2001 and peak travel in the same time period 
congestion increased from 28 percent to 69 percent. This increased 
congestion represents an $8.4 billion annual cost in delay and wasted 
fuel, specifically--696 million gallons of fuel on New York City area 
roads and highways. Over 67 percent of this cost is due to delays 
caused by driving accidents. And the most sobering statistic of all is 
the 1,458 traffic deaths that occurred on New York City roadways in 
2001. Intelligent Vehicle Technology could reduce congestion costs by 
$2.8 billion each year, reduce wasted fuel by 238 million gallons each 
year and reduce congestion by 34 percent.
  In our Nation's heartland, the statistics also support the need for 
measures to be taken to reduce accidents on our roadways. The numbers 
point to the urgent need for a reduction in the costs to the American 
people's time, money and quality of life. In the Chicago area, 
residents spend 27 hours each year in traffic-related delays. Since 
1982, time spent in congestion increased from 23 percent to 40 percent 
in 2001 and for the same time period peak travel congestion increased 
from 46 percent to 81 percent. If you place dollars to this delay, it 
costs Chicago area residents $4.1 billion each year in delays and 
wasted fuel--340 million gallons of wasted fuel to be exact. Once again 
over 56 percent of this cost is due to driving accidents and related 
delays. Chicago area accidents in 2001 alone tragically ended the lives 
of 1,418 motorists. It is estimated that IVT technology could reduce 
Chicagoland's congestion costs by $1.2 billion each year and save 97 
million gallons each year. It is further estimated that IVT technology 
could also translate into a reduction in the time spent by area 
residents in traffic congestion by 29 percent.
  To illustrate that this is a nationwide problem, fewer residents are 
harder hit by this ``epidemic'' than those of the Los Angeles, 
California area. Residents there collectively spend 667 million hours 
in traffic-related delays. The percent of daily travel spent in 
congestion has increased from 31 percent in 1981 to 44 percent in 2001, 
and peak travel time congestion in the same time period increased from 
62 percent in 1981 to 88 percent in 2001. This increased congestion 
costs residents $12.9 billion each year in delays and wasted fuel to 
the tune of 996 million gallons of fuel, with nearly 55 percent of this 
cost due to driving accidents. Most alarming is the number of annual 
fatalities; in 2001 the number of

[[Page 17368]]

motorists who lost their lives in traffic accidents was 3,753. This is 
certainly a human tragedy in addition to a significant drain on area 
commuter time and money.
  In the Los Angeles case, research shows that IVT technology could 
potentially reduce congestion costs by $3.6 billion each year and 
reduce the number of gallons of fuel wasted in traffic by 279 million 
gallons. In terms of quality of life, IVT could give back local 
residents over 28 percent of the daily travel time they currently spend 
on the roadways of Los Angeles.
  The benefits of IVT technology are not limited to our Nation's 
commuters. Commercial trucks and trailers are responsible for moving 
nearly 3.5 trillion tons of freight each year. The reliable and timely 
transport of goods is vital to the health of our Nation's economy. 
However, accidents involving commercial trucks cost over $24 billion 
each year in lives lost, medical and emergency services, and property 
damage. Fatal accidents cost more than any other accidents when heavy 
trucks are involved, the average cost being $3.54 million per accident 
for trucks with multiple trailers. Statistically, over the past 10 
years, accidents involving large trucks increased by over 15 percent. 
The deployment of IVT technologies to the trucking industry could also 
greatly reduce accident rates, cost per accident, and the resulting 
traffic congestion. Application of these technologies to commercial 
trucking is a vital part of increasing our nation's roadway safety and 
ensuring the cost effective and timely transportation of goods 
throughout the United States.
  America leads the world in the development of IVT technology, which 
comes as no surprise. However, what is surprising is that Europe and 
Japan lead in deployment of these technologies. It is clear from the 
statistics above that accidents, congestion, and related loss of life 
are nationwide problems that need to be addressed by the deployment of 
these life saving technologies here at home. The goal of my legislation 
is to jump start the deployment of these safety technologies so that 
associated benefits become more universally experienced through its 
widespread use here in the U.S. It is intended to encourage consumers 
at all income levels to purchase IVT equipped vehicles.
  As we continue to consider various legislation this year, I believe 
it is also important to look at additional innovative ways to address 
the unacceptable levels of highway deaths and injuries. The Intelligent 
Vehicle Highway Safety Act will promote safer vehicles. I look forward 
to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact this 
important legislation.

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