World Health Day
WORLD HEALTH DAY
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, since 1948, countries all over the world have recognized April 7 as World Health Day as a way to raise awareness of a specific health issue that has global significance. In previous years, World Health Day focused on issues such as the importance of creating healthy environments for children, addressing emerging infectious diseases, and reducing the stigma associated with mental health treatment. The theme for this year is road safety which is perhaps not something that is often thought of as a public health risk. However, each year motor vehicle crashes have a devastating and tragic impact on millions of families all over the world.
In 2002, motor vehicle crashes killed nearly 1.2 million people worldwide and injured as many as 50 million more. If the current trend continues, the World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2020, road traffic deaths and disabilities will become the third leading contributor to the global burden of disease and injury ahead of strokes, tuberculosis and HIV.
The toll of these crashes is no less significant here in the United States. Over 42,800 people were killed and nearly 3 million people were injured on our own country's roads and highways in 2002. That's one person-a parent, child, friend, or colleague-killed in a car crash every 12 minutes of every single day. Beyond the overwhelming emotional impact that these deaths and injuries wreak on our communities, they also cost our economy over $230 billion a year.
Today as countries around the globe put a spotlight on the issue of road safety, it is equally important to examine what we are doing here in our own country to prevent these crashes.
As the former chairman and now as the ranking member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I have worked to improve transportation safety over the years and I would like to talk about some of the ways we can save lives and prevent injuries.
To look at this in a very basic way, there are three categories of events that can go wrong on the road and have deadly consequences. First, there can be hazardous road conditions such as poor weather, narrow lanes or dangerous curves. Second, there can be a catastrophic failure in the vehicle such as a blown tire or worn out brakes. And finally, the driver's own behavior can mean the difference between life and death on the road, whether it is neglecting to wear a seat belt; driving while intoxicated; speeding; or, falling asleep at the wheel.
The investments that we make in our roads, the standards that we set for vehicles and the laws that we enact to change driver behavior all can help reduce the number of fatalities on our Nation's roads and highways.
Often when we talk about transportation funding, we focus on the highway construction jobs that will be created and the congestion that will be relieved. We also must mention how our transportation investments improve safety on our roads and highways. I would like to take the occasion of World Health Day to highlight two areas, in particular, where we hope our transportation investments will help change driver behavior.
The Omnibus appropriations bill that passed the Senate a few months ago increased funding for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's drunk driving program by more than 40 percent. These funds will help States develop and implement a tracking system for those repeat offenders who drive drunk time and time again. They will also help better educate the judges and prosecutors that handle drunk driving cases so that sanctions will be applied in a consistent manner.
It is well known in the highway safety community that the best way to deliver the message about the perils of drinking and driving is through high visibility enforcement programs. On the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I have worked with Senator Shelby to include funding for a national paid media campaign for NHTSA's "You Drink and Drive. You Lose" program. This media campaign, which coincides with impaired driving safety mobilization efforts, delivers the message to drivers that law enforcement is out in force conducting sobriety checkpoints and that if you are caught driving under the influence, there will be serious legal consequences.
The Omnibus appropriations bill included $14 million for paid advertising; $2.75 million to support State-impaired driving mobilization efforts; and $3 million to pilot new and innovative strategies to combat impaired driving. This funding, in combination with strong State laws, provides us with an opportunity to reverse the unfortunate upward trend in the number of alcohol-related fatalities.
Another contribution that the Omnibus appropriations bill made toward transportation safety is in the area of seat belts.
The most important thing you can do to protect yourself in the event of a car crash is to wear your seat belt. In fact, in 2002, the year for which we have the most recent data, seat belts saved over 14,000 lives. The FY 2004 bill included $14 million for the "Click It or Ticket" program, which is a national paid media campaign similar to the impaired driving effort I just mentioned, however, its focus is on getting families to buckle up.
This is the third year in a row that Congress has provided funding for "Click It or Ticket," and we are seeing some positive results. Last year, NHTSA estimated that seat belt use had risen to 79 percent nationally, its highest use rate ever. My State of Washington led the country with nearly 95 percent of our citizens wearing their seat belts.
Our efforts to reduce drunk driving and increase seat belt use are just two examples of the steps we are taking to address the safety challenges we face on our Nation's highways. As a member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue to work to provide funding for programs that tackle these issues and take the opportunity on occasions such as this to highlight the importance of safety on our Nation's roads.