SENATOR MAINTAINS THAT INCREASED AUTO SAFETY OFFERS A HOLIDAY GIFT FOR ALL

Missourians take to the highways this holiday season to visit family and friends in every part of the state. Many will make longer drives to see loved ones and friends in other states.

The precious spirit of the season will be found in reunions with a brother who lives in Sedalia, parents who live close to town, or with a loved one or friend who lives many hours distant. As bags are packed and family members bundled into cars, there is a special reason for cheer this holiday travel season: Travel is safer.

The American automobile industry is meeting the challenge of making vehicles that are safer and fully competitive. Jack Gillis, author of the "Car Book," found that U.S. manufacturers seized the safety lead for this model year. Gillis stated, "The bottom line is, we're beating (foreign manufacturers) in terms of safety."

As a rule, advances in vehicle safety are the result of action by Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation. I have actively promoted stronger safety standards, and welcome the finding that U.S. automobiles are making effective use of air bags, center mounted rear brake lights, better safety belts, anti-lock brakes, stronger protection from side impacts, and padding to prevent head and spinal injuries. There also has been significant progress in other areas, including drunk driving enforcement, notification of recalls, use of child booster seats, and the safety of minivans and light trucks.

When a Senate committee hears testimony on preventing vehicle rollover or improvements in automobile braking, the true subject isn't engineering or statistics. The true issue is the safety and well-being of people you, your loved ones, friends and neighbors.

In 1986, before air bags were widely available, 1,143 people were killed on Missouri's highways; nationwide, there were 46,087 fatalities. By 1991 in Missouri, these totals had dropped to 1,011 deaths from auto accidents. Nationally in 1991, there were 41,462 fatalities resulting from crashes. During this time the fatality rate in Missouri dropped from 2.7 per 100 million miles travelled to 2.0, confirming the trend towards improved highway safety.

One of the most important safety improvements is the use of air bags that inflate automatically to protect passengers in a crash. Legislation enacted in 1991 requires that all new passenger cars have air bags in both front seat positions beginning Sept. 1, 1997. Family vehicles such as minivans must be equipped with dual air bags by Sept. 1, 1998.

According to the Center for Auto Safety, air bags already are available in 61 of 85 U.S. models, representing 72 percent of new cars made domestically. When State Farm Insurance Company conducted a two-year study on the effectiveness of air bags for policy holders, it found that drivers survived all but 60 of 8,631 accidents in which air bags deployed. The study concluded that serious and moderate injuries were reduced by 40 percent in such accidents.

Because of these successes, more Americans will arrive safely at their holiday destinations. In this holiday season and in those to come, we will be rewarded with more successes in the implementation of life-saving advances in automotive safety.

Truly, saving lives and preventing injuries is a wonderful gift at the holiday season and all year round.