Smart Motorist

A variety of high priority problems in highway and auto safety were probed. Some questions extended trend lines from previously asked questions while others explored new areas concerning older and younger drivers, intersection safety and the priority the federal government places on auto safety standards.

Some of the key findings of the public opinion poll are:

Clear Mandate for Federal Safety Regulations

By convincing majorities, the public strongly supports federal involvement in setting safety standards rather than leaving it to states and localities and jeopardizing uniformity. Public support of this view continues to grow in each successive poll. In 1996, 87% and in 1998, 89% of the respondents supported a strong federal role in establishing highway and auto safety standards. In this recent poll 93% say it is important "for the federal government to be concerned with these areas of safety." Across the board, Americans believe federal involvement is important, but the percent of those who feel it is "very important" is greatest among women, minorities, and those with a postgraduate degree.

--Time for New Auto Safety Standards

Basic auto safety standards have not been revised in 30 years, but cars have changed dramatically in that time and so have safety technology and knowledge. By more than a 2-to-1 majority, Americans say "it would be wise to set new standards for auto safety." By a majority of 69% to 25%, the public rejects the notion "that old standards ought to be left alone." Again, women felt more strongly about auto safety than men (74% vs. 64%), but a majority of both groups believe that it's time for action. Interestingly, more young people (74%) are concerned about reviewing safety standards than older people (55%).

-- Public Favors Increased Federal Spending on Auto Safety

Knowing that the federal government spends $9 billion a year on airline safety, but only $300 million on auto safety, Americans are willing to back up their concern for auto safety with their tax dollars. By a margin of 77% to 21%, the public favors boosting federal spending on auto safety. Forty-nine percent (49%) say the budget for auto safety should increase "somewhat" while 28% believe it should "go up a great deal."

Public Worried About Intersection Safety

Most motor vehicle crashes occur at intersections. With the aging U.S. population and the onslaught of new teenage drivers because of the "Echo Boom," intersection safety and the threat to pedestrians is an emerging highway safety issue. As a result, Americans perceive intersections as danger zones. Three (3) out of 4 favor the use of cameras to catch red light runners, and similar numbers support other measures to improve safety.

-- More Intersection Improvements Favored

Simple measures such as changing traffic signal timing, adding left turn lanes and making signs less confusing can improve intersection safety for pedestrians and drivers alike. The majority of Americans (70%) say their cities should pay greater attention to intersection safety improvements. Nearly a third believe these improvements deserve "much more" attention.

-- Cameras Get the Green Light

Red light runners better beware: 74% of Americans favor state laws that permit cities to install cameras at intersections to catch those who ignore traffic signals. Approval for intersection cameras grew from 65% in 1998. As these cameras are increasingly used in cities and suburbs, they are gaining popularity with the public. Today's level of support for cameras varies by age. The elderly are the greatest supporters (81%), and even young people favor cameras by a more than a 2-to-1 majority.

-- Dangerous Intersections Need More Attention, Especially for Pedestrians

The vast majority of Americans (85%) feel more attention should be paid to making intersections safer for pedestrians. Once again, more women than men feel strongly, and support for "much more" attention being paid to the issue is greater among those over 50. It doesn't seem to matter where one lives to be concerned about intersection safety. Whether residing in a city, suburb, or rural area, a majority of Americans, in nearly identical numbers, feel that much more attention should be paid to intersection safety.

Frequent Driver Testing Makes the Grade

All Americans, regardless of age, favor more frequent testing of two groups known to have higher fatality rates: younger and older drivers. However, testing all drivers when they renew their licenses was met with strong disapproval, with the most notable opposition coming from those 50 years of age and older.

-- Young and Old Drivers Need More Frequent Tests

By large majorities, people want both younger and older drivers tested more frequently. There is greater overall support for more frequent license testing of older drivers (83%) than for younger drivers (72%). Younger and older drivers themselves recognize they need to be tested more often. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of those between 18 and 29 say young people should take the driver's license test more frequently. Among those over 65, 80% favor testing older drivers more often.

While support for more frequent testing of younger and older age groups is strong across the board, Americans of all ages oppose requiring all drivers to take a driving test each time they renew their licenses. Opposition to such a requirement is 62% to 37%. Interestingly, young people are nearly evenly split on the question with 49% in favor and 50% opposed.

Large Vehicles Cast Big Shadow Over Public Psyche

The majority of people are clearly worried about the hazards posed to drivers and passengers by vehicles such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and large trucks.

-- Public is Polarized on the Dangers of SUVs

Sport utility vehicles comprise the fastest growing segment of the new car market. Even though SUVs are undeniably popular, the majority of Americans -- 67% -- believe these vehicles are dangerous. Even among SUV owners themselves, nearly half (44%) believe their vehicles are dangerous. Owners of passenger cars are the most fearful of SUVs with 70% calling them dangerous. There are distinct age and gender differences on this question. People under 50 view SUVs with less trepidation, and men are less concerned than women (58% vs. 76%). Advocates' previous survey in 1998 found 40% of Americans were "very concerned" about "severe accidents that can result when bigger vehicles, such as sport utility vehicle and pickup trucks, hit smaller cars."

-- Wake Up Call to Tired Truckers

Truck-related crashes result in more than 100 deaths a week and truck traffic is growing. According to government studies truck driver fatigue is a major factor in truck crashes. These statistics alarm Americans and they want trucks equipped with new technology that would diminish the risks posed by fatigued drivers and enhance safety. A large majority of Americans (81%) favor installation of driver warning systems and black boxes in trucks to improve enforcement of truck safety rules. Advocates' previous polls also showed that the majority of Americans are concerned about the safety of big trucks on our roads. Eighty-one percent (81%) of 1998 respondents said "sleep-deprived, sleepy truck drivers" are a serious safety problem. In response to a question in 1996, 83% of the public is opposed to any changes in the number of consecutive hours that a truck driver is allowed to drive on a highway from the current 10 hours to 12 hours.

• Nearly a 3 to 1 (69% - 25%) majority believes it is time to revamp outdated motor vehicle safety standards to modernize and improve the safety performance of cars and trucks.
• More than 9 of 10 people (93%) believe it is important that the federal government take the lead in setting strong consumer safety standards, such as motor vehicle safety. Harris found that support in this area has continued to grow since he posed the same question in 1996 (87%) and 1998 (89%).
• A vast majority of Americans (85%) say their communities should pay greater attention to improving intersection safety to better protect motorists and pedestrians alike. A 3 to 1 (74% - 23%) majority favors state and local authorities using intersection cameras to catch red light runners. Approval for red light running cameras grew from 65% in Harris' 1998 poll. Engineering measures such as changing traffic signal timing, adding left lane turns, and making signs less confusing all met with substantial approval.
• By large majorities, the American public supports more frequent license testing of older drivers (83%) and younger drivers (72%). U.S. Census projections show that the population of teens and persons 65 years and older will substantially increase over the next decade.
• In response to fears about truck safety and the dangers posed by fatigued truck drivers, a large majority of Americans (81%) favor installation of driver warning systems and black boxes to improve enforcement of truck safety laws.

"It appears that the American people are way out in front of most politicians when it comes to highway and auto safety," said Judith Lee Stone, President of Advocates. "It is time for our political leadership to catch up with our nation's consumers on this issue."

The American people's appetite for strong rule-setting in consumer matters is high," said pollster Harris. "People reject turning over this function to the state and localities in its entirely."

Highway crashes are the number one cause of death of Americans under age 30. Since 1982, while alcohol-related traffic deaths have dropped by 37% (from 25,100 in 1982 to 15,900 in 1998), NON-alcohol-related highway fatalities have increased by 36% (from nearly 18, 800 in 1982 to 25,500 in 1998)

In 1990, nearly 44,500 people were killed in highway crashes. By 1998, the highway death toll dropped to nearly 41,000. "Some might say this is great progress, but can we, as a civilized society, say that our nation has done all it can when 41,000 Americans are likely to lose their lives this year?," Stone said. "Our nation is stuck in neutral when it comes to the waging a real fight against our highway death toll," added Stone. "We want this turn of the century to be the beginning of a renaissance period for highway and auto safety."

To help jump-start that process, Advocates today released a report outlining more than 90 recommendations to dramatically reduce death and injury on our highways. The report -- called "Stuck in Neutral: Recommendations for Shifting the Highway and Auto Safety Agenda into High Gear" - covers a wide array of safety concerns about the vehicle, the driver and the road itself. The report calls for federal action to revamp car and truck safety standards. It also outlines legislative action to improve safety belt and child restraint protection, to stop drunk driving, to combat red light running, and to address growing concerns about older and younger drivers.

Among its recommendations for overhauling federal auto safety standards, Advocates urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to:

-- improve "roof crush" protection

-- upgrade rollover protection by making vehicles, especially sport utility vehicles (SUVs), more stable, and to better pad interiors and upgrade door latch/ hinge performance.

-- issue a final rule on advanced air bag systems that includes performance requirements to protect children in low speed crashes, unbelted occupants in high speed crashes, and all occupants against neck, head and chest injuries;

-- address passenger vehicle compatibility by improving front end and side impact protection in smaller vehicles, and by modulating the size of large vans, pickups and SUVs.

-- upgrade side impact protection performance requirements in car, vans and light trucks;

-- increase protection for pedestrians struck by vehicles, including less rigid parts on vehicle front ends.

-- expand the scope of child restraint system standard to children who weigh 80 pounds.

"The Harris poll showed that consumers are willing to pay more to protect themselves and their families," said Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen and a member of the Advocates national board. "Consumers demand and expect that the latest technologies, the best products based on the latest knowledge, will be incorporated into the new vehicles they buy."

Safety concerns were also expressed today in response to U.S. Census Bureau predictions of large increases in teen and older (65 years +) drivers in many states over the next decade. From 1988 to 1998, there was a 12 percent drop in total traffic fatalities in our country. But for persons 70 years or older, the number of fatalities increased by 17 percent. As the Baby Boom generation begins to reach retirement age, the population of drivers over 65 is expected to grow by 60 percent by year 2025. Most people have a driving test only when they get a driver's license for the first time.

Advocates called on the states to more frequently test older drivers and to consider "graduated licensing" for older drivers. Much like traditional graduated driver licensing that is used to allow new drivers to adjust to increasingly more difficult driving situations, graduated systems for older drivers work in the reverse by reducing driving privileges according to the drivers' ability to handle the demands of different types of driving situations.

This form of graduated licensing allows trained licensing authorities to assist by making evaluations of driving skills. Under such systems, a driver's license can be custom tailored to the driver's specific abilities and may increase such limitations as day driving only, use of special equipment like wide-angle mirrors or requiring a companion in the car.

Another approach to address the older driver issue is a law recently enacted in Missouri giving doctors and family members permission to report an older driver whose driving is questionable, and to permit the Motor Vehicle Administration to test the older driver. Both approaches were praised for reevaluating the older driver's performance based on driving skill rather than on age alone.

Advocates also urged each state to enact graduated licensing laws for new drivers. Last year, 14 percent of all the drivers involved in fatal crashes were between 15 and 20 years of age, in spite of the fact that teen drivers account for only 7 percent of all licensed drivers.

On July 14, 1998, a newly-licensed 16 year-old driver caused a multiple fatal crash near a high school in Bethesda, Maryland, that resulted in three deaths, including that of teen passenger Matthew Waymon of Takoma Park, Maryland. Matthew Waymon's father, Todd Waymon, spoke at today's news conference, and urged all states to enact graduated licensing laws and to require more frequent testing of younger drivers. "We need to make sure that every state enacts a Graduated Licensing Law that phases in the full driving privilege of new drivers," Waymon said. "Also requiring our youngest drivers to be tested more frequently would surely save lives."

Waymon also backed Advocates' call on each state to enact laws allowing standard enforcement of seat belt laws. "If our nation is serious about highway safety, there is nothing more important the states can do to protect our families than to pass comprehensive seat belt laws that require everyone, of all ages and in all seating positions to buckle up."

Another issue that attracted broad public support in the Harris poll was intersection safety. According to the Federal Highway Administration, from 1992 to 1998, the number of fatal crashes at intersections has increased by 16 percent, while all other types of fatal crashes have increased by only 5 percent. Drivers who ran red lights were involved in 89,000 crashes, causing more than 1,000 violent deaths and 80,000 injuries last year. "Red light running is a growing problem, and it's not confined to a specific demographic profile," said Jacqueline Gillan, the Vice President for Advocates. "Red light running is one of the most dangerous things any driver can do. I found this out the hard way." Last year, Gillan was injured in a crash caused by a red light runner at a Maryland intersection.

The Harris poll found growing strong support for intersection cameras to catch red light runners. Safety advocates are also urging states to consider engineering design solutions to dangerous intersections. With rising pedestrian traffic on many urban and suburban streets, pollster Harris said "it is not a surprise to find a solid 70 percent majority of Americans believe that more attention should be paid to this new danger zone."

Alan Maness, Federal Affairs Director and Counsel for State Farm Insurance, pointed out that red light running cameras at intersections are part of a new wave of effective technology that is showing great promise in its early stages. The public is right on target when it comes to intersection safety, and we urge every state and community to adopt stop this lifesaving technology."
The Advocates' report also recommended that Congress withhold federal highway funds from states that fail to enact laws to require standard enforcement of state seat belt laws, to set the legal limit for drunk driving at 0.08% BAC, and to require motorcyclists of all ages to wear safety helmets.
A national cross-section of 1,005 randomly chosen adults 18 years of age and over was surveyed by Peter Harris Research Group, under contract to Louis Harris. The interviewing took place from August 17 - August 26, 1999.

The findings of the Lou Harris poll and the Advocates' report on "Stuck in Neutral: Recommendations for Shifting the Highway and Auto Safety Agenda into High Gear" can be found on the Advocates web site: www.saferoads.org

 

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